Abandoned, The Fortress Aftermath
by Wally Boswell
Summary: Kara is held captive for a month, alone in the fortress, will she recover
1. Abandoned

It had been a month since she had abandoned Supergirl in the Fortress and walked away with Myriad. However, it hadn't been a productive month, she couldn't get the damn software to work with Myriad's operating system. She and Eve had tried everything, right now they were hacking the DEO to try and see if there was anything in those records.

It had been a month since Alex had heard from Kara, since she had gone to the Fortress with Lena. Eliza was freaking out, she called every day, several times a day to check on Alex's progress. Superman was off planet somewhere, so he was no help, while J'onn and Nia were covering National City, so they couldn't help. She couldn't scan the Fortress with satellites because the security there basically hid the whole damn thing. She had tried calling, texting and had even considered assaulting L Corp and Lena's apartment, but Lena was ignoring them. That couldn't be good. She had Brainy scanning the internet and networks at L Corp in case Lena made a mistake and they could track her to wherever she was hiding.

Brainy had been waiting for Lena to make a mistake, so he could finally track her down. He allowed her tracer program into the system but locked it into a search program that would make it look like it was moving through the system, when in reality, it was paused, unable to do any damage to the DEO. Then, using the programs footprints, he tracked it back to Lena's servers, what he saw made his blood go cold. He'd known Lena would be upset about Kara's secret, but he never thought she would go this far. He immediately texted Alex and let her know he had tracked Lena's program and knew her location, he also let her know what Lena was up to, and that yes, he was capable of destroying all records of the software. Alex texted J'onn and Nia to let them know they located Lena, but got no response, of course they were a little busy covering for Kara. Then she gathered her troops and planned an assault.

45 minutes later, at Lena's hidden lab on the outskirts of National City…

"Ms. Luthor, there are several intruders approaching our location."

"Startup defensive protocol."

"I am trying Ms. Luthor, the programs are not responding."

"What do you mean, not responding?"

"The programs are deleting themselves as I attempt to activate them."

"Transfer all data to secondary servers, immediately."

"Unable to comply Ms. Luthor, all access to the outside has been terminated, we are isolated."

"Bring up the assault unit on video."

"Unable to comply."

At that moment, the DEO burst into the room. Of course, Alex was leading them, and the reason for their computer issues was also there, Brainy.

"Alex, a high energy burst from a taser will free the human and destroy the computer link."

Without a pause, Alex pulled her taser and shot Eve. The woman dropped like a stone and her connection to the system and all files related to her, ceased to exist.

"All files related to Ms. Luthor's plans have been deleted Alex."

Alex then stared daggers at Lena while ordering her troops to collect everything, including Eve and haul it back to the DEO. "Brainy, I need you to stay so I don't do anything stupid."

"Of course, Alex."

Drawing her 10mm, she pointed it directly at Lena and asked, "Is she still at the Fortress?"

Lena swallowed hard, and nodded, she'd had guns pointed at her before, but this time it was different, Alex was looking at her with such hatred, she wasn't so sure that she would survive this encounter.

"Is she alive?", Alex growled.

"Yes", Lena was panicking now, she realized the only thing keeping her alive was the fact that she was the only way Alex could get to the Fortress. "I took away her comms and her phone then locked her in the fortress."

Alex's finger twitched, and she had to lower the gun before she shot Lena.

"Take us there now!"

While Lena was fiddling with whatever device she needed, Alex pulled out her phone and texted everyone that Kara was at the Fortress. She texted Eliza and Kelly separately, letting them know that if possible, she was taking Kara to Midvale, taking her home.

Kelly texted back that she was on her way, that she loved Alex, and not to kill Lena.

Eliza simply texted, 'Thank you.'

Lena opened a portal and they were teleported almost instantly to the Fortress. There was a mild green glow over everything.

"Lena, whatever you did, turn it off now!"

"Computer, deactivate Kryptonian protocol."

"Where is she?"

"Through there, I made sure the computer would take care of her."

Alex didn't hear her; she ran to the next room. Kara was sitting on the floor trapped inside a huge ice crystal, with Kryptonite laced throughout. She slowed down, as the ice started to disappear, Kara didn't even move.

"Kara" she whispered.

Slowly Kara turned towards her sister, "Alex?" Then her sisters panicked heartbeat caused her to scream, "Alex it's too loud." She squeezed her eyes closed and covered her ears.

Alex slowed down, her heartrate was too high, she willed it to slow down, she had to be calm. She approached slowly, "Kara, I'm here baby sister. We are going to take you home, to mom, is that okay?"

"You're not going to leave me, are you?", Kara's eyes were wide with fear.

"No, Kara, I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

"Alex, she's here, Lena's here, she will be mad, I'm loose, she trapped me, she hates me, I have to hide, get away Alex, run, before she finds us."

Lena stopped in the doorway, what was going on?

"Kara, she brought us here, she is going to take us to mom's. But she is not going to hurt you, I swear."

"She locked me up Alex, I made her mad, I hurt her, I hurt her so bad, she hates me Alex. I couldn't talk to anyone, I was alone. Alex I was by myself, like the phantom zone all over again, Alex I was so scare, don't leave me, please.", Kara was crying.

Lena backed out of the room, and looked at Brainy, "What is wrong, why is she acting like this?"

"What you see is not an act, Kara suffers from severe abandonment issues and claustrophobia. She has spent a month in that cage you put her in, and you took her ability to communicate, in your anger with her, you have done something your brother never could."

"What's that?"

"You have broken a Super."

Lena looked back at Kara, who was looking at her, as soon as they made eye contact, Kara look at the floor, fear plain in her eyes. 'Oh God, what have I done.', she thought to herself. She wanted to hurt Supergirl, not break her. She had known Supergirl for almost 4 years, well that wasn't actually true, she had known Kara, but Kara was a lie.

"Kara, are you ready to go home?"

"Yes, is mom going to be home?"

"Yes, and Kelly will be there too, is that okay?"

"Yes, is, is Lena coming?", the fear plain behind her words?

"She is taking us home."

"She is still mad at me?"

"I won't let her hurt you, Kara."

"I'm sorry Alex, for being so weak."

Alex gathered her little sister in a hug, a hug her sister simply melted into. "You are the strongest person I know Kara."

"Alex, it was my fault, Lena's hatred was my fault."

Alex looked at Lena as Kara spoke, Lena felt a cold shiver go down her spine, the malice in Alex's eyes was clear, she had hurt her family, and if given the chance, Alex would hurt her back.

"Alex, don't hurt her, you are better than that."

"I promise Kara, I'll be the better person."

"Thank you, Alex, can we go home now."

"Set the co-ordinates Lena, we are leaving."

Lena prepped the portal based on Brainy's coordinates, and a moment later, the four of them stepped into the yard of Kara and Alex's childhood home.

Eliza Danvers was standing on the front porch and she waited till Kara got her bearings and started walking towards her girls. She hugged Alex first, "Thank you for protecting her again Alex. I love you so much, you make me so proud."

"She'll be okay mom, right now she is really scared, but she'll be okay.", she sounded so unsure, and there were tears forming in her eyes.

"I know, but mothers worry, it's what we do best." Then she walked slowly up to Kara, who simply fell into her arms, crying and gripping as tight as she could without hurting her adoptive mother.

"Eliza, I'm sorry I made you worry."

"It's okay sweetheart, everything will be okay. Is there anything you need or want right now?"

"I could probably use a bath and if it isn't too much trouble, some pancakes?", she asked softly.

"Will you be okay in the bathroom?"

A sudden picture of herself locked in that small cage came back to Kara, "No, to small.", she was panting, having a panic attack. Lena started to step closer, when Eliza shot her a look that said quite simply, that she was more dangerous than Alex. Lena backed away.

"How about the lake baby, like when you first came to live with us."

"Is that okay?"

"Of course, it is, walk down with Alex and I will go get you some clothes and stuff. Okay?"

"Okay", she smiled, the first one any of them had seen in quite some time.

Eliza turned away before the tears started, and Alex walked up and put her arm around Kara to walk her down to the lake.

Kara was heading down to the lake, with Alex when Kelly arrived. Skidding to a stop Kelly threw open her car door. The noise scared Kara and she stopped, closing her eyes and covering her ears. Kelly saw the reaction, and reacted instantly, slowing down, settling herself and then slowly approaching Kara. She looked to Alex, she had figured out Kara's identity pretty quickly, but was still surprised that Alex was allowing her to actually see Kara in uniform. She finished approaching Kara, "Hey Kara. Sorry for scaring you hon."

"Hi Kelly, I'm sorry, really, I'm sorry."

"Shhhh, Kara, you don't have to be sorry hon, it's normal to be scared, even for Supergirl."

"Okay."

Eliza came out carrying some things for Kara and saw Kelly and smiled. Then she walked her daughter down to the lake. Kara got undressed behind a blanket on a tree limb and walked into the water, submerging herself and relaxing in the silence.

The three women sat on the edge of the lake as Kara washed herself and just swam around.

Kelly was the first to speak, "Someone want to tell me what happened."

"Why don't you ask her?" Alex said, as Lena made her unwelcome presence known.

Lena answered flatly, "I locked Kara in an ice cell in the middle of the Fortress of Solitude with no communication for a month."

Alex spoke up, "Kara suffers from claustrophobia and severe abandonment issues"

"And you thought it would be a good idea to play on her fears, Ms. Luthor?"

"I didn't know."

"Didn't know or didn't care?", Kelly asked, coolly.

"I didn't know, I never asked her anything about Supergirl. After I found out she was lying to me about being Supergirl, I really didn't care, she betrayed my trust just like everyone else, so I just wanted to hurt her."

"Think you succeeded pretty well.", Alex snapped.

"I know dammit, but she betrayed me, just like everyone, Supergirl lied to me.", Lena was actually trying to defend her actions.

"Her name is Kara, you bitch.", Alex snapped, standing up she looked down at Lena. "Supergirl is a mask, it isn't who she is. It's what she can do, it's a way to use her powers for good, to make the world a safer place, but under all that strength is Kara, my baby sister. She is a woman who lost her whole world, watched it blow up, and then when she arrived here, Superman abandoned her with us. So, let me tell you something Ms. Luthor, you don't want people to judge you by just your name, stop acting like Supergirl is hers."

"She still lied, I was her best friend, and she never told me. All her friends know, why not me?"

"Oh my god, yes she has told people who she is, but others just figured it out, I'm surprised you didn't.", Alex said sarcastically. Then she sat back down, taking a breath to try and calm down. "She told Winn, because she needed his help when she started out, she told Lucy because of James and she told Nia so that Nia wouldn't feel so alone.", Alex said. "She was going to tell you several times, but your hot/cold attitude towards Supergirl scared her, she didn't want to lose you. And several times the DEO wouldn't allow her to tell you, because of your mother and brother."

"But still"

"God you don't fucking get it do you?"

"Don't get what?"

"Everyone that knows is in danger, if you knew, if someone got to you, they could use Kara's feelings about you to their advantage."

"Our friendship?"

"You are so smart, but you absolutely fucking stupid when it comes to people. She Loved You."

"She loves everyone?"

Alex growled, stood up and walked away, before she throttled the dark-haired genius.

"I think what Alex was trying to say Ms. Luthor, is that Kara was romantically attached to you."

"What? Oh my God.", Lena's eyes suddenly got large as she realized how incredibly stupid, she was.

"Now Lena, based upon your actions, I could very well arrest you and send you to prison for kidnapping and probably enough charges to have you locked up for life, but my sister doesn't need any more issues with you, so I'm going to ask politely for you to leave, and if Kara wants to see you, we will contact you."

"I want to talk to Supergirl," she shook her head, "Kara."

Kelly responded to that one, "Ms. Luthor, that would be a bad idea, she is very frightened and from what I have gathered here, that fear is primarily due to you, as a doctor, now Kara's doctor, I could not allow it."

"But you can't stop me."

"Lena.", Alex whispered so low that Lena barely hear her. "I promised my baby sister I wouldn't hurt you, but so help me, if you so much as look at her sideways, I will break that promise and live with the consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

Lena swallowed whatever retort was on her tongue, she had seen this woman face down Aliens as powerful as Supergirl and not flinch, Alex would do exactly what she said, and consequences be damned. "I'll head back to the city."

No one spoke as Lena walked back across the yard, she took one last look back before she teleported away, and instead of Supergirl, she simply saw Kara, and a tear slid down her cheek as she realized what she had lost.

After she was gone, Brainy came and sat down. "That did not end well?"

"It was best that she left, now we need to figure out what Kara needs.", Kelly was in doctor mode now. "She is going to need a physical to determine how much long-term damage the kryptonite caused and a full mental evaluation. She is not going to be Supergirl for a while."

"I don't care if she is ever Supergirl again.", Alex said.


	2. First Steps

"Alex, do you really mean that?", Kelly asked, surprised by her girlfriend's reaction.

"No. Yes. I don't know.", Alex said, shaking her head at herself. She was so worked up over Lena that she wasn't thinking straight. "Kelly, I'm not sure of anything right now, except that I want Kara back."

"Alex, Kara is back. She is scared and hurt, her best friend, the woman she loved, caged her and left her completely defenseless. Lena combined all of Kara's biggest fears and then subjected her to them for a month. You are Kara's hero Alex, she needs you to support her no matter what her decision is, whether she wants to be Supergirl ever again or not, you have to help her, you have to support her, but most of all you cannot subject your decisions or opinions on her, none of us can, we have to let her make her own choices."

"I should have arrested her."

"No, Alex, don't do this, you made a choice, don't doubt yourself. We don't know how long it will take for Kara to heal, to make peace with herself over what happened, but I know from experience with other traumatized patients, that a trial, especially one as public as a Luthor trial will not help her right now."

Eliza was listening, but not really listening to the conversation, instead she was watching her adoptive daughter as she headed towards the shore. "Can we pause this conversation for a little while, she is finishing up in the lake."

Brainy, who had been following the entire conversation, while noticeably avoiding looking at Kara swimming in the lake, reminded the three women that Kara had also asked for pancakes, "Perhaps Kelly and I should head up and start the batter?"

Alex, realizing that Brainy was volunteering himself out of seeing Kara getting out of the lake, "Ya'll go ahead, mom and I will meet you up at the house."

"Thank you, Alex."

Kelly walked around the table and kissed Alex gently on the lips, "I'll see you up at the house."

After they got out of earshot, Eliza leaned over to Alex, "She's good for you Alex, stop overthinking."

"I'm not overthinking mom."

Eliza tapped the crinkle, the same one everyone noticed on Kara, but Eliza knew where it came from first.

Kara came up out of the lake and dried off and changed behind the blanket. "Where did everybody go?"

"They went up to the house to start on the pancakes sweetheart."

"Lena's gone?"

"Yeah Kar, that's on me sis, I asked her to leave."

Kara released her breath in one large sigh and hugged Alex tightly. "Thank you."

Alex, who was trying so hard to hide her emotions from Kara, cried into her sister's shoulder for just a moment.

"Alex, are you okay, did I do something wrong?", Kara's voice trembled.

Eliza answered for Alex, "No baby, you did everything just right."

Alex sniffled, "Thanks mom." The three women embraced.

As the hug ended, Eliza and Alex locked arms with Kara, and with the girl of steel between them, headed back up to the house.

They stepped up on the porch and Eliza opened the front door. The house had been remodeled so that the entire downstairs was an open floor plan, the kitchen, living room and dining area were all open and inviting, and Kelly had opened all the windows and the French doors allowing the wind to flow through the house. Kara peeked in, and Kelly looked at her and smiled. Kara took a deep breath and walked through the door, she felt her heart rate go up just a bit, then Alex took her hand and just stood beside her. Using her sister's strength, she mustered her courage and continued her trip into the house. Eliza came in behind them, smiling, knowing that they had taken the first step on the path to recovery.

Kara walked into the kitchen area and sat down at the bar. Kelly noted that Kara marked all the exits as she sat down, so she could flee if necessary. Kara noticed Kelly and held her head down, "I'm sorry."

"Kara, honey, it's only been a few hours since you got out of the fortress, it's okay to know how to get out of a bad situation, no one in this room is judging you."

Kara looked up and saw everyone's eyes on her, they all nodded, letting her know, she wasn't alone anymore. "Thank you." she whispered.

Eliza took over from Brainy and Kelly in the kitchen, making batter and warming up the griddle. "How many would you like?"

"Just two.", Kara answered.

No one said a word, knowing that this would be another part of the healing process.

While they were eating, Alex's and Kelly's phone buzzed from multiple text messages. J'onn was on his way, Nia wanted to come, James was checking on Kara, everyone wanted to know what was going on.

"Kara, sis, J'onn and Nia want to come and visit, is that okay?"

"Yes, it's okay."

"Kara, it's okay to say no, if you aren't ready."

"No, they were covering for me while I was," she flinched, "Caged? Weren't they?"

Alex looked to Kelly. Kelly nodded, indicating telling her the truth was for the best.

"Yes, they were."

"Then I need to see them so I can say I'm sorry."

Alex closed her eyes, "Kara, you don't owe anyone an apology, you couldn't have known what was going to happen."

"I should have seen it, I should have known, I'm her best friend, and I failed her. I let her use me, I neglected my duties as Supergirl in order to do things for Lena that I would have never done for anyone else. I deserved what happened to me.", she cried, "Lena was right to angry with me, I failed all my friends and family." Then she abruptly stood and bolted out the front door.

Alex stood to go after her, "Alex, no." Kelly said gently, "Let me go. You are her hero, she looks up to you like no one else, she feels like she failed everyone, and in her eyes, you are highest on that pedestal."

Alex closed her eyes, took a deep breath and nodded. Kelly kissed her on the cheek gently and headed out the door. It was only after Kelly left that Alex looked down at Kara's plate, she had barely eaten ½ a pancake.

Kara was sitting on her and Alex's swing set down towards the lake. Kelly approached slowly, making sure that Kara knew she was coming. Kara looked up, her eyes were puffy, and tears were flowing freely down her cheeks. The pain that Kelly could see in her eyes reminded her of people who had lost family, not only was she defeated, Kara was mourning the loss of her friendship with Lena.

"Kara, can we talk?"

"Uh huh", Kara answered without looking back up.

"Honey, how do you feel about Lena?"

"Is she here?", Kara looked up, fear replacing the look of loss. Her breathing was speeding up.

"No Kara, calm down, she's not here. Alex told her to stay away."

Kara closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. After a few minutes, it calmed down.

"Kara, your feelings for Lena, you love her, don't you?"

"I do, or did, or, I don't know.", Kara said, tears starting to fall down her cheeks again.

"Do you want to talk now, or wait till later? It's only been a few hours honey, you don't have to do this right now."

"She used me, and I let her. She has been using me since before the awards ceremony, then afterwards she just kept the act going."

"What act Kara?"

"The night Lex died, he told Lena I was Supergirl. She shot him and just swallowed what he told her about me. She let herself believe I had betrayed her, and I guess in a way, I did. I wanted to be normal around her, just be myself, just Kara. After I told her, I let myself believe that everything was okay, that we could go back to normal, I even gave her a watch, so if she needed help, she could just call for me."

"So, you thought everything was okay, but Lena was hiding something."

"Yeah, I was oblivious, I wanted things to be back how they were, so I just closed my eyes to everything else. Nothing she asked me to do seemed too much, I couldn't seem to set boundaries with her, I was powerless when I was with her."

"You were seeing everything through rose colored glasses, Kara." Kelly explained, "It's a normal reaction when you care about someone."

"Really, so I wasn't just being stupid?"

"No Kara, of course not. It's like with Alex and I, she is stubborn, so stubborn, but she will also admit when she is wrong, so I overlook the stubbornness, I just roll with it. I have my faults as well, but Alex normally overlooks them."

"But my,", she fumbled, looking for the right world, "blindness to Lena's attitude almost hurt the whole world."

"In some ways Kara, she was your whole world."

"Was, she trapped me, she took everything away, I trusted her so much, then what she did to me. She smiled when she left me, told me not to think of her as a villain.", as the thoughts of that day came back, Kara slid onto the ground, shrinking in on herself. "She caged me, she left me alone, like my parents, like Kal, she just left me, like I was nothing to her. She took my family away; I couldn't talk to Alex or Nia or any of my friends. Eliza, she took Eliza away from me." Then Kara looked skyward and screamed, loosing her heat vision at the clouds.

Kelly gasped, and drew away. Alex came running out of the house, Eliza and Brainy right behind her.

Kara stopped, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Kelly don't' be scared, don't leave."

Kelly caught herself, and waved Alex to stop, "Kara, I'm not going anywhere." Then she gathered the fragile woman in her arms and let her weep.

Alex looked dumbfounded at Kelly, realizing at that moment just how lucky she was.

After about 15 minutes, Kara settled down, sniffling and hiccupping. She let Alex and Kelly lead her into the house and got her settled on the couch. Brainy came in and sat in the chair next to her and just held her hand, letting her feel the solidity of a friend. Kelly, Eliza and Alex went into the kitchen to clean up and make a pot of coffee.

"That was incredibly brave of you Kelly.", Eliza said, looking the young woman in the face.

"Thank you, Mrs. Danvers."

"Kelly, I think we have reached a point where Eliza would be just fine, okay?"

"Yes ma'am", she blushed.

"Can you tell us what that was all about?", Alex asked.

"Kara is mourning Alex, she lost something very precious to her."

"Lena?"

"Yes, and the worst part for Kara is that Lena knew who she was before she told her at the ceremony, Lena was playing her this whole time. So not only are her fears guiding her, her confidence in herself is shot and she is going to doubt anyone that she comes in contact with, she is so used to seeing the good in everyone, now she is going to be jaded."

Alex took a deep breath, closed her eyes and swore under her breath. "What can we do?"

"Be patient, and be prepared, the old Kara may never be back."

"On the plus side, we know her powers are coming back.", Alex tried to smile.

"Yeah, about that, that came out of nowhere."

"No, that's not quite true, when she first arrived, emotional turmoil had a tendency to make her powers flare."

"Eliza, I am going to need a lot of help, I've never actually worked with an alien before."

"Anything I can help you with, I am here."

Brainy came in at that moment, "I am at your service as well. Kara is asleep. And I would like to stay downstairs with her tonight, so that you can all get some rest."

"Thanks, Brainy, I'm not sure if any of us will get any real rest tonight."

"I agree, but based upon Ms. Kelly's current diagnosis, it seems prudent that she not wake up by herself."

"How about for tonight, we all just crash in the living room."

"How about not, you and Brainy have been going non-stop for almost a month."

"J'onn, when did you arrive."

"Just a few moments ago, with the doors and windows open I could hear everything, I will stay with Kara tonight, Nia will be here in about an hour, she insisted on coming tonight. So, the two of us will watch her, and the four of you will get some rest."

"J'onn," Eliza spoke, "She hasn't seen you; she wouldn't expect you or Nia here."

"Yes, I would mom.", Kara said, stirring a bit and looking up at J'onn. Then she stood up and wrapped the Martian in a hug, "I'm so sorry J'onn, I will make it up to you. You shouldn't have to do my job."

"Kara, you do not owe me or anyone an apology."

"I do though, I failed all of you."

He was about to correct her, when Kelly slowly shook her head. He nodded and simply hugged the Kryptonian superheroine back.

Kara went back to the couch and turned on the TV, not really watching, but not wanting to go back to sleep either.

The rest of the household settled into the kitchen, close enough to give Kara some space, at least until Nia got there. The young heroine settled right in beside Kara, gave her a hug and let Kara just be quiet.

"She's a natural.", Kelly thought out loud.

"Kara's her hero, Nia wants to be Supergirl when she grows up.", J'onn laughed lightly.

Kelly and Alex were the first to give in, Kelly hugged Kara while Alex kissed her sister on the head and said goodnight, then headed upstairs. Brainy was next, Eliza pointed him in the direction of the guest room, and he trudged up after hugging Kara. Nia had slid into some shorts and a t-shirt and her and Kara were curled up on the couch, the younger heroine protectively watching her idol. Eliza was finally succumbing to sleep as well, she kissed Kara goodnight, and headed up to bed. J'onn was in the recliner, dozing.

About four hours later, Kara knocked lightly on Eliza's door, "Mom, can I come in?"

"Of course, baby, what is it? Bad dreams?"

Kara nodded and curled up into Eliza's arms, whispering "I'm sorry", over and over until she fell back to sleep.

Across the hall in Alex's bedroom her phone buzzed, "What the fuck is going on?", it was Sam's number.


	3. Caretakers and Phone Calls

"Kara?", Nia yelled, "Where's Kara?"

"Nia, calm down, she's upstairs, she had a bad dream, and she went to sleep with Eliza.", J'onn gripped the young woman's hand.

"Oh, okay, sorry, I panicked."

"It's good to see you so protective, you've come a long way from the shy reporter you were almost a year ago."

The young hero smiled at the compliment. "Will she be okay?"

"Her mind is closed to me right now, she is full of chaotic thoughts, more than anything she blames herself for what happened, and she is fearful that it could happen again."

"What do we do?"

"We show her patience and kindness, but above all things, we have to be here for Kara. Supergirl is not who she is, it's only what she does. Kara's greatest strength has always been her empathy for people and her ability to see the good in anyone. I saw Kara at her best the night her Aunt Astra died. Even after everything she had done, Kara's last thought was to remind Astra what a good person she was, that she was family." J'onn said sadly, "She may not ever be the same Kara, but as members of her family, we have to support her throughout this entire crisis."

"Shouldn't Superman be here?"

"He and Kara are family, but I'm not sure he could relate to what has happened. He is less human than Kara, she remembers what it is like not to have powers, to just be a child. He doesn't remember her as family, except what she has told him. He came to this planet as a baby, just a few months old, so he doesn't see what she sees. He judges based on human actions. I'm not sure how to say this, Kara saw the good in Lena, she never cared about her last name or her family, only what was right in front of her. Kal, he only saw her last name, the curse of that family. He compared her to Lex immediately, and even though he didn't mean too, he judged Kara for her feelings about Lena."

"So, the only person on the planet who she could relate too, the only Kryptonian, is probably the worst person for her to talk too."

"Unfortunately, that sums it up perfectly."

"That just sucks.", Nia said sadly.

"I agree Nia, completely."

"Where's Kara?", Alex asked, coming down the stairs, a bit of panic in her voice.

"She's with your mom, bad dream.", Nia responded.

"Okay.", Alex took a deep breath and padded over to make coffee. Time for a new day.

As the smell of coffee spread through the house, everyone started to stir. Brainy was next down, asking the same question as everyone else. The answer satisfied him, and he got a glass of juice from the refrigerator and went out to sit on the porch.

"Is Brainy ok?", Nia asked.

"I'm not sure, he idolizes Kara, to see her like this, it's probably unsettling for him. Lena's scheme scared him as well, he deleted all of it, he didn't even keep any of the information himself, he deleted it from his memory."

"Do you think he would talk to me?", Nia asked.

"Couldn't hurt to try, it would be good for him."

Nia hopped up from the couch, made herself a cup of coffee and headed out to the porch, Alex and J'onn could hear her as she asked, "You want some company?"

"That would be nice Nia, thank you."

"Anytime, we are a team."

They started to talk, and Alex smiled just a bit. J'onn looked over at her, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing okay, I threatened to kill Lena yesterday, so I'm not real proud of myself. I really wanted to see whatever it is Kara sees in her, but yesterday, all I could see was how hurt and scared Kara was. I told Lena that if Kara wanted to talk to her, we would contact her, but there is no way I am ever letting my sister around that woman, ever again."

"Alex, that is up to Kara.", Kelly said sleepily as she came down the stairs.

"I know Kells, but Kara is so trusting, I can't stand the idea of her being hurt again, seeing her like that, all that fear, and blaming herself for what Lena did. It's not fair, Kara is not like anyone else, she always sees the good in everyone, and now Lena has taken that away from her, she has hurt, my baby sister." The emotion of the last month, especially the last 18 hours finally crashed down on Alex, Kelly was there in a moment, holding Alex's head against her stomach and stroking her hair as Alex let some of her fear and anger out. J'onn kissed the top of Alex's head and stepped outside to make a call.  
He overheard Nia talking to Brainy, "She will be okay, we both know how strong Kara is."

"I know this in my mind because people recover to various degrees of normalcy from all types of trauma, but my emotions can't seem to get past how frightened she looked and how Ms. Luthor spoke as if she would do it again, to any of us if we stood in her way."

"Brainy, may I hug you, you may find a more emotional release from human contact."

"As long as you are okay with it?"

Nia pulled him into a hug, and like Alex, Brainy cried for his friend and himself.

John smiled as he watched a small part of his family try to heal, then made a phone call.

"Hello, Lucy Lane."

"Hello Lucy, it's J'onn."

"J'onn, how is she, how is Kara?"

"Physically exhausted, and her powers may be diminished from the low levels of Kryptonite radiation she was exposed to. Emotionally, she is a wreck. Lena locked her in a cage for a month, cut her off from her friends and family, and has somehow convinced her that it was all her fault."

"Where is the bitch now?"

"Lucy, that won't fix things."

"I know, but it will sure as hell would make all of us feel better. But that's not why you called is it?"

"I need you to take over as director for a little while, but I also need to make sure they Alex, Brainy and Kara are all placed on leave, so that they don't lose any pay?"

"Of course, anything for family J'onn. Can I visit?"

"Text Alex and ask, I am family on this Lucy, Alex's Kelly, has taken over Kara's care."

"Okay, let me head over to the DEO, you need me to email the paperwork?"

"Yeah, and a copy to the President."

"Gotcha, I'll check with Alex and see you in a few days."  
"Thanks, Lucy, this will mean a lot to Alex."

"No problem J'onn. You going to keep on patrolling."

"Yes ma'am, if you need me, call, I can be back in 20 minutes at top speed."

"Thanks, J'onn, expect that email in the next couple of hours."

"Bye Lucy."

"Hug her for me. Bye J'onn"

He walked back past Brainy and Nia, watching them look out over the lake, rubbing shoulders to support each other. Then he entered the house, Alex was staring off into space, Kelly sitting beside her. "You called Lucy?"

J'onn wanted to act surprised, but Alex was to smart for that. "She is going to hold down the fort for a little while so that you and Brainy can concentrate on Kara. She also wants to come and visit."

"Are they close?" Kelly asked she knew Lucy from James' time dating her.

"They weren't at first, but Kara kind of grew on Lucy."

"How so?"

"You know how you thought I was prickly when we first met, well Lucy is me times 10."

"And Kara got to her."

"Yep, should I let her come?"

"The more people in her support system the better honey."

"Damn, where's my phone?" Alex asked Kelly, "I must have left it upstairs." She got up to head upstairs and saw her mom leading a very frightened looking Kara down the stairs.

"Breath baby, just breathe, we will get you downstairs and outside, okay."

Kara nodded quickly, refusing to open her eyes, afraid to see the walls. J'onn swiftly opened the door, as she reached the bottom of the stairs, Kara reached for Alex. Alex took her hands and slowly led her outside. Kara ran into the middle of the yard, falling to her knees. Alex caught up to her sister and knelt in front of Kara. "It's okay Kara, it's going to be okay, relax, take deep breathes, slow down, slow down."  
Kara was taking breaths to quickly and started listening to Alex, she slowed her breathing, closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Then she opened them, and Alex saw tears begin to fall down her sister's face. "I'm sorry, so sorry, I went to mom last night because I had a nightmare and then when I woke up, she was in the bathroom, I freaked out. I'm so sorry."

"Kara, it's okay," Alex said just for her sister. "We will get through this together, we are all here for you."

"Thank you.", Kara squeaked out. Then she leaned into her sister just to be held.

After a few minutes, Kara looked up to her sister and smiled. "Thank you for rescuing me, Alex."

Caught off guard, Alex pulled Kara to her so she wouldn't see the tears.

Kelly came down, holding Alex's phone. "Hey honey, Lois Lane called, she wants you to call her back, and who is Sam?"

Alex looked at Kelly confused. Kelly held out her phone, which Alex took, "Oh shit."

"Sam, Samantha Arias is an employee of L Corp, a friend a mine, Kara's and Lena's. Maybe Lena called her about what happened? I don't know."

"Is Lena coming back?", Kara asked, her breathing speeding up. "I don't want to see her Alex. Please don't let her come."

"Kara, oh shit honey, no Lena is not coming here. I told her not to come back, Sam sent a text last night, probably wanted to check on you."

"Are you sure?", Kara asked, unconvinced.

"Yes, I will call her back right now, you can listen if you want."

"No, that's okay, just don't let Lena come back."

"Kara are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay, and it's my fault. I let Lena walk all over me, and now, now I'm worthless to everyone. I can't even stand in my own house without hyperventilating and I can just imagine how you all feel, having to babysit Supergirl." Kara yelled, then she stood up and walked down to the lake.

"Kelly? What was that?"

"She is angry, not with us, but with herself and her situation. And quite possibly that tree."

Alex turned to see what Kelly was talking about, as Kara punched a large tree on the edge of the lake. The force of the blow shattered the tree and then she proceeded to rip the stump out of the ground and fling it into space.

Everyone was staring, "Guess her strength is coming back?", Nia asked, her eyes wide as she realized exactly how strong Kara was.

"Hope your mom didn't like that tree.", J'onn deadpanned.

"I didn't, and it's a good thing. Is she okay?"

"She's angry Eliza, with the situation and herself."

"And Lena, this started because of that name."

Eliza headed down to the lake to gather her youngest daughter, while Kelly turned back to Alex, "So who is Sam?"

"A friend, someone who has a bit of history with Kara and me. She also has a daughter, Ruby, who Kara adores. It's not my story to tell honey, but if you are jealous, there is nothing there, Sam needed friends and we were all there for her."

"Alex, you have enough love in your heart for everyone, I'm not, well maybe a little. But I am secure in our relationship, you trust me with your sister's mental health, so I know we are okay."

Alex kissed her girlfriend, "How did I get so lucky?"

Kelly just smiled, "Call Lois first."

Alex looked at her phone and dialed Lois' number.

"Hey Alex. Is she okay?"

"Hey Lois, not really, but Kelly says she will get there. How's Clark? How's the baby?"

"Clark is okay, he sends his love, he believes in Kara, but he's afraid he would say something dumb about Lena, they don't agree on the whole Luthor thing."

"I understand, would you like to come and see her?"

"I would have to bring Jon."

"Lois, we work out space for you and Jon, and Kara needs all the family she can handle."  
"Okay, I have some leave from work, is Tuesday okay?"

"Yeah, send me a text with your arrival time, someone will come down and get you."

"Okay Alex, tell her, tell her I love her and tell her Clark believes in her, okay."

"I'll let her know Lois. Thank you."

"Bye Alex."

"Bye."

Alex was not looking forward to the next call, she looked at her phone and dialed Sam's number.

"Alex, where the hell are you, Ruby and I have been to Kara's apartment and your apartment, are you at the DEO, is Kara okay? Where are you?"

"Sam, what are you doing at our apartments, how? You live in Metropolis."

"We flew in this morning, Lena called me, yesterday and told me, Kara, she told me she hurt Kara. Is that true? Is Kara okay?"

"No Sam, not really."

"What's wrong with her? Will she get better? Can I help?"

"Sam, slow down, what's wrong? Why are you so upset?"

"What do you mean why am I so upset, Kara is my friend, and that bitch hurt her, no one told me what was going on between the two of them. I drug my 14-year-old out of bed this morning, flew across the country and now I can't find Kara, I don't know where she is, and you are being cryptic."

"Whoa Sam, I'm sorry. Let me start over.", Alex took a deep breath, "We are in Midvale, at our mom's house. Kara is physically okay, at least I think she is, we'll know later today after her physical, but mentally and emotionally she is a wreck, she's scared of Lena, to the point of cowering at the sound of her name, she can't stand to be alone right now, and she's not Supergirl right now."

"Can we come? Can we help? Do you think she could be around me after Reign?"

"Sam, take a deep breath, slow down.", Alex said, she could hear the other woman trying to relax. "Hold on a second.", then she turned to Kelly, "Could Sam and her daughter come and help?"

"Are they close?"

"They were."

"Then tell her to come on," Kelly responded.

"Sam, Kara's doctor, my girlfriend says to come on. Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Alex, my powers, they've started to come back, and Ruby, she is developing powers as well, I need Kara's help. I don't want to be Reign again."

"Sam, oh god, why didn't you call sooner?"

"I thought I could control it, I'm scared and Kara helped so much after we beat Reign, I never really got to thank her for just being Kara, and now she's hurt and I just feel as if I need to be there for her."

"Call my cell when you get here, so I can come and get you, okay?"

"Okay. Do I need somewhere to stay?"

"Oh lord, we are going to run out of room, I hadn't thought of that."

"Alex, Mason's old home across the road is empty, maybe we can talk to the realtor about renting it for a few days."

"Get a price Alex, I'll buy it, I'm cashing out my L Corp stock, I'll have the money."

"Sam?"

"I don't care Alex; small towns are better for children anyway. Ruby's getting our tickets now, we are heading to the train station, I'll call when I get to Midvale. Thank you, tell Kara we are coming."

"Bye Sam."

Alex stood dumbfounded for a moment, still wrapping her head around the conversation. Kara and Sam had always been close, and Kara was definitely Ruby's favorite weird aunt. Having them around certainly couldn't hurt. "They are coming today. She is taking the train in."

"That works I have to go to town and get groceries."

"I can go with you Mrs. Danvers", Nia piped up.

"Thank you, Nia, that would be helpful."

The young heroine smiled, she felt like part of the family.

Everyone but Brainy and Kara jumped in and made breakfast quickly, which Eliza served on the porch. Everyone ate, except Kara, who just picked at her food. After breakfast, Kara helped Alex and Kelly clean up, then went and sat down in the living room.

"She's not eating?"

"Alex, give her time, if she is still not eating after a week, we will have to do something, but not right now."

"Okay, guess I am just used to her eating so much, it's unsettling."

"I'm sure, she will bounce back honey, I believe that, but it won't be easy for her or us. She is the victim here, but for one reason or another, we are all meant to be here. And in some small way, we are sharing her pain."

Eliza came back downstairs, having changed clothes, and announced she was headed into town.

"Kara honey, I am going into town, to do a little food shopping, I will be back before 3."

Kara looked at the clock, then at Eliza and nodded in agreement.

Eliza grabbed her keys and Nia followed her out the door.

Kara stood on the porch watching until she couldn't see the car anymore.


	4. Sam and Ruby

Alex's phone buzzed, a text message from Sam, 'We are here.'

'Mom is picking you up, with Nia.'

'I know your mom, who's Nia.'

'Kara's protégé, she is a little ball of sunshine, Ruby will love her.', Alex responded then added, 'Mom is on her way.'

'Thanks Alex, see you later.'

'Thanks for coming Sam.'

15 minutes later, Eliza pulled up in her SUV. "Hey Sam, hey Ruby."

"Hey Eliza, are you holding up okay?"

"Eliza." Ruby rushed into Eliza's arms.

"Hey Ruby, it's so good to see you.", Eliza smiled, and looked down at Ruby, "You've grown so much."

"Almost as tall as you."

"Almost, but not quite yet."

Sam looked at the interaction Eliza was having with Ruby and realized with a pang of sadness how much she missed Patricia.

"Sam are you okay?", Eliza asked.

"Just missing my mom.", she answered.

Eliza walked up and gathered Sam in her arms. Sam didn't realize how badly she needed this. "Thank you, Eliza."

"Anytime Sam."

Nia got out of the truck and walked around, "You must be Nia?", Sam asked.

"That's me, you must be Sam and Ruby.", she held out her hand to Sam, which she shook. Ruby, on the other hand, looked at her for a minute, then stepped forward and hugged her.

At first shocked, Nia hugged Ruby back, "You're just like Aunt Kara."

Nia looked up at Eliza and Sam and smiled sadly.

"You two must be tired, are you ready to head to the house.", Eliza asked.

"Oh lord, yes ma'am, please.", Sam sighed.

"Will we get to see Aunt Kara?", Ruby was ecstatic.

"Yes, she is at the house waiting for us. But I have to warn you, Ruby, Kara is not herself right now."

"Can me and mom help?", Ruby asked Eliza.

"I hope so sweetheart." Eliza smiled "I do."

Nia and Ruby got in the backseat, while Eliza and Sam got in the front. Ruby was showing some app or another to Nia while sharing music.

"You know, they kind of remind me of Alex and Kara on a trip, after Alex accepted Kara into the family, she made so sure that Kara was never left out, it became her mission in life to protect her.", Eliza said, checking the rearview.

"Eliza, ", Sam asked, "you never answered my question. How are you holding up?"

"Last night she crawled into my bed, she had a bad dream. Instead of just settling in, she spent almost 20 minutes apologizing over and over again.", Eliza answered quietly, "She is hurting so bad, but part of the pain is because she is heartbroken over Lena."

"Kara has been talking about Lena in her letters to me."

"Kara writes to you?", Eliza was shocked.

"Oh yeah, she writes all the time. She would come and visit too if she was in town as Supergirl."

"Is that how you knew her identity?"

"Yes ma'am, Kara, she hates having to lie, but after we got closer, she decided since Ruby and I lived so far away, it wouldn't hurt for us to know."

"Why didn't you tell her about your powers?", Eliza asked, "And Ruby's?"

"Kara carries the weight of the world on her shoulders, I didn't want to add to that. I thought I could control them, but they keep getting stronger."

"Any blackouts?"

"No ma'am, but the number of stimuli coming from everywhere, how does Kara do it?"

"Lots of practice Sam. Please don't lie to her right now, tell her everything."

"But what if she pushes me away."

"There is a 14-year-old little girl in the back seat that will stop that from ever happening.", Eliza said.

They pulled into the driveway, and everyone came out to help with the groceries, except Kara and Alex, who were in the backyard testing Kara.

In the backyard,

Kara was tired, she had been testing her abilities for almost an hour and while all her powers were working, nothing was normal. Her heat and x-ray vision worked sporadically, but she had to concentrate so hard it gave her a headache. While she had destroyed the tree earlier today when she was angry, her strength levels were way below normal. Her skin still seemed to be invulnerable, it wasn't like Alex was going to pull a gun and shoot it at her. The worst part of the testing was that she couldn't seem to get off the ground, she couldn't fly.

"Kara, you need to stop."

"Just one more try Alex, please.", Kara pleaded.

"One more and then, you stop.", Alex said.

Kara closed her eyes, trying to picture herself lifting off the ground. It was there, right on the edge of her senses, she squatted down, gathered all of her energy, and then. Nothing. She couldn't get off the ground.

Before she could stand there and feel sorry for herself. Ruby came running towards her, "Aunt Kara!"

"Ruby!", Kara smiled, a real smile, it even reached her eyes, as the 14-year-old jumped into her arms.

"The power of a child.", Kelly smiled.

Alex took her hand and just watched her sister.

"Hey Sam, you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry about earlier, I was freaking out thinking about Kara. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"It's okay, I completely understand.", Alex smiled.

"Is she going to be okay?", Sam asked, watching as Kara and Ruby walked down to the lake, then sat on the swing set. "Should we go save her?"

"No, no.", Kelly interjected, "Kara needed that hug, and she needs this. Ruby is at the right age to understand a little of what is going on, but she won't judge Kara or Lena, she may talk Kara's ear off, but the conversation will be peaceful. Speaking of Lena, what did she say Sam."?

"She said something about trapping Kara at the Fortress, locking her in a cage and cutting her off from everyone. She needed Myriad, whatever that is for something she was working on. She told me that Kara had betrayed her, hadn't told her about Supergirl. Then Alex threatened her, and they went to free Kara, and she Kara was broken, scared of her.", Sam answered, "She was all over the place, one second she was crying, then she'd get serious for a minute. Then I reacted badly, I yelled at her, told her how horrible she was for what she had done to Kara. I was just so angry with her.", Sam paused for a moment, "It's like I forgot everything she did for Ruby and I. I couldn't believe that Lena had done what she did, I didn't want to believe it, part of me still doesn't."

"Well all of it is true, she locked my baby sister in a cage and left her.", Alex growled. "She doesn't deserve our pity."

"Alex?", Kelly asked.

"I'm sorry, but after what's she done, I don't know what I would do if I saw her again.", Alex sounded so defeated, that Kelly pulled her into a hug. As much as Kara needed them, Alex needed to come to grips with her anger or it would eat her alive.

Kara sensed the rising tension on the porch and turned to see what was going on. She saw Alex crying into Kelly's arms, and you could see the panic rising on her face. Kelly and Eliza couldn't get to her, they were trying so hard to calm Alex down. Sam, however, remembered that feeling of helplessness and flew to Kara. "It's okay Kara, Alex needs to get something off her chest, just relax sweetheart, you're not alone and you're not going to be, I'm right here."

"Sam", Kara closed her eyes and let her friend hug her.

Ruby saw everything and walked over to her mother and Kara and cuddled up to them both. Kara opened her eyes to see Alex looking at her. She smiled weakly and Alex smiled in return, they had both taken another step in the healing process.

Nia then looked at J'onn, "Did you see how fast she moved?"

"Almost as fast as Kara.", J'onn answered.

Sam and Ruby walked Kara up to the porch so she could check on Alex, then they all settled down, just enjoying the afternoon.

"Aunt Kara?", Ruby asked.

"Yeah, Ruby?"

"Can we watch a movie?"

"Of course, short stuff, what would you like to watch?", Kara asked.

"Let's watch the Wizard of Oz."

"One of my favorites.", Kara smiled.

Suddenly everyone thought this was the perfect idea.

"We'll make popcorn and get some snacks.", Kelly and Alex volunteered.

"Nia and I will move the furniture to make room for everyone.", from J'onn.

"Me and Aunt Kara get the floor, where are the pillows?", Ruby asked.

"I'll get some blankets for the floor, Sam, can you open the windows and doors for Kara?", Eliza asked.

"Yep, got it."

"What's the Wizard of Oz?", Brainy asked.

"Only the best movie ever, we watch it whenever Aunt Kara comes and visits us in Metropolis."

Alex, J'onn and Kelly all turn and look at Kara, who grinned, nobody knew about those secret visits.

One movie turned into an all-afternoon marathon of musicals and Disney movies. Pizzas were ordered and Ruby challenged Kara to a contest to see who could eat the most. Kara ate three whole pieces, but Ruby dusted her, devouring a whole pizza by herself.

Alex took a deep breath, looked Kelly in the eyes. Kelly smiled, "Told ya so.", she giggled. Alex smiled and kissed her on the nose.

The last movie ended, and everyone stood up to stretch. "Kara, Nia and I need to go back to the city, we will be back before lunch tomorrow, okay?", J'onn said.

The fear was plain in Kara's eyes, "You are coming back right?", she pleaded.

J'onn knelt and pulled her into a hug, "We will be back before lunch, I promise."

Kara nodded, feeling weak in front of everyone.

"Do you need anything while we are in town Kara?", Nia asked.

"Could you bring me some clothes from my apartment, please?", she answered.

"Of course. Anything else?"

"There is a book, in the living room, it's got a red sun on the cover, I think it's on the fourth shelf down, could you bring it too."

"Yep, I can do that."

"Thank you, Nia."

"No problem, it's what friends do.", then Nia hugged her.

Nia then took Brainy to the side, "Are you feeling better?", she asked him.

"Yes Nia, thank you.", Brainy answered.

"Just don't forget, if you need someone to talk to, we are all here, this is hard on everyone, so don't let it get to you again.", then she hugged him and looked to J'onn, "I'm ready boss."

J'onn was hugging Alex, turned at smiled at Nia, they headed outside and then he lifted her and they flew back to National City.

Sam got up to start putting things away, when Eliza stopped her, "Just leave it, we can fix the furniture in the morning, and Ruby looks exhausted." It was true Ruby was curling up in Kara's lap on the floor, trying not to fall asleep and failing badly.

"Are you sure Eliza?"

"Of course, Sam, you guys get some rest. Kara honey, I'm going to bed.", she walked over and bent down giving Kara a kiss and a hug good night. "Night baby."

"Night mom. I'll try not to panic tonight.", Kara frowned.

"If you need me, you come to me, I don't mind."

"Thank you.", Eliza wiped the tear from Kara's cheek and headed upstairs.

"Want to watch one more little sister?"

"Sure, what ya want to watch?", Kara answered, she didn't want to sleep, she was afraid the nightmares would come back.

"How about, Mary Poppins?"

"Okay", she smiled, that was Alex's favorite.

An hour in and Sam was crashed on the sofa, Kara was asleep on the floor and Alex and Kelly decided to make their way upstairs.

Sam woke up to Kara, crying and begging forgiveness in her sleep, "No don't do it, please, I'll do whatever you want, don't leave, please don't leave. Don't leave me." Sam placed her hand on Kara's shoulder and Kara jerked awake instantly.

"Want to talk Kara?", Sam asked.

"Can we go sit on the porch?"

"Of course, sweetheart?"

They headed out to the porch and sat down looking out at the lake. "It was Lena, leaving me again. She just walked away, after everything we had been through, I thought she would at least give me a chance to explain, but it just sounded like excuses to her and me. All this time she was using me, trying to fix the world's problems. All because I lied. I don't understand why I did it, Sam, it's like I was addicted to her, I felt like if she didn't know, she would never judge me, she wouldn't expect me to be perfect. It's my fault she got angry, it's my fault she is alone now."

"Kara, Lena is not perfect, you know that right.", Sam said. Kara nodded and Sam continued, "What she did to you was wrong, she never should have locked you away, she never should have cut you off from your family and friends. I know you feel responsible, but she is to blame for her actions."

"No more secrets for me, if someone wants to know the whole me, they have to know I am not just Kara, they need to know everything.", Kara stated, that old Supergirl strength coming through. "That goes for my friends and family too, when were you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"About your powers?"

"I wasn't hiding them on purpose Kara, I thought I could control them, but they are coming on so fast?"

"And Ruby?"

"Right after your last visit, she broke the faucet in the bathroom, literally ripped it off the sink. She thought it was hilarious, then she realized she could be like you, and I freaked out.", Sam laughed at herself, "Kara you have so much on your shoulders, I didn't think you needed a superpowered teenager asking you for advice, not to mention a neurotic superpowered war machine freaking out every time her powers woke up."

"Sam, as I told you over and over, you were not responsible for Reign or her actions. If you need my help, I will do everything I can for you."

"Thank you, Kara," Sam said, looking at Kara, really looking at her. It suddenly dawned on her how beautiful Kara was, how blue her eyes were, how easy it would be losing herself in those gorgeous blue orbs. She shook her head, Kara needed a friend, not a lover right now.

"Sam, can you check on Lena, make sure she doesn't do anything to herself."

"Kara?"

"I feel responsible for what happened, and I know I couldn't handle talking or texting her. Just seeing her eyes in my dreams scares me."

"Stay right here.", Sam ran in and got her phone.

S: 'Lena, it's Sam. I want to apologize for how I acted the other night or was it last night.'

L: 'Are you still angry?'

S: 'Not angry, hurt over what you did.'

L: 'I didn't know this would happen; I didn't know it would hurt Kara so bad.'

S: 'She's right here Lena, she wanted me to check on you.'

L: 'Is she okay, never mind, of course, she's not okay'

S: 'It's going to take time for her to heal Lena, but she blames herself for what happened.'

L: 'It wasn't her fault'

S: 'That's not how she sees it.'

L: 'I fucked this up, didn't I?'

S: 'I don't know Lena, but you need to see someone, and you need to get out of the office.'

L: 'Who would want to help me?'

S: 'Remember that trip to Gotham, that blonde psychiatrist we met, Harleen Quin or Quinzel?'

L: 'Yeah, I have her number in my phone for some reason.'

S: 'She seemed pretty smart, call her.'

L: 'How do I explain what I did to Kara?'

S: 'Honestly, you explain it to her honestly.'

L: 'I'll call her on Monday.'

S: 'No, call her tomorrow. Kara needs to focus on getting better and she can't do that while worrying about you.'

L: 'Okay'

S: 'I'll text you tomorrow'

L: 'Thank you'

"Thank you, Sam.,", then Kara smiled and hugged her, and Sam's world got a little brighter.


	5. Sisters and Friends

Lena sat for a moment and stared at her phone. She hadn't expected to hear from Sam again, except maybe for a resignation letter. And of course, she was with Kara, and Kara had convinced Sam to check on her, that was Kara, always caring and considerate of everyone, she would put everyone else first till her last breath. She looked at her phone, her empty glass and the unconscious blonde laying on her couch. The Lena Luthor coping method she thought to herself, get drunk, get laid, box everything up and don't think about what she did, box it away and forget about it. Except this time the boxes were all in a shamble, and she couldn't box her feelings away fast enough. She got up and walked across the room, her bare feet sinking into the plush carpet, her pale skin a sharp contrast to the black bra and panties she was wearing. She tripped over her shoes, or the blonde's shoes as she got closer to the bar. She caught herself but couldn't help the word that came out of her mouth, "Fuck!"

The blonde on the couch rolled over, blue eyes watching her, "You want more?"

"Go back to sleep!", Lena snapped.

"Fine!", the blonde rolled over, put her head down and closed her eyes.

Lena search the bar and found what she was looking for, the last bottle of Irish Whiskey she had picked up the last time she was in Ireland.

She trekked back across the office to her desk this time avoiding the shoes, sat down heavily in her chair, poured two fingers of the amber liquid and slammed it back. She savored the taste for just a moment, then let the liquid roll down her throat, savoring the burn as it traveled to her stomach. As she finished the first glass, she poured more and slammed it down as well, as the liquid made its way to her stomach, she picked up her phone and pulled up Dr. Harleen Quinzel's contact information. She even had a picture.

"Fuck me!", Lena said to herself. Blue eyes were staring her right in the face. This time she didn't even bother with a glass, she just put her lips right to the bottle. As she slammed the bottle back on the desk, her finger hovered over the delete button. She looked at the bottle, the blonde on the couch and then the blue eyes on her screen sighed, then she pressed delete. "Now I'll just drink till I pass out," she thought to herself. She'd wake up in the morning face down in her plush carpet, the blond gone and no idea where her phone was.

Sam hadn't really fallen back to sleep after her conversation with Lena, and whatever it was Kara had awoken in her. She sat thinking, even after Kara had told her the truth about who she was, Sam had never called her Supergirl, she was always just Kara, her friend, someone she could talk to about anything. And the letters, every week she had received a letter from Kara, she cherished those letters, she had even saved everyone. They were currently in her suitcase upstairs wrapped in a Supergirl ribbon that Ruby had used when she was younger. Ruby got letters as well, at least one a week from Kara, and two or three a month from Alex. Of course, Alex had made sure Ruby got a cell phone for her 13th birthday and they texted all the time. Aunt Kara was special, but Auntie A, as Ruby called Alex, was on a whole different level than anyone else. Sam regretted moving to Metropolis somedays just because of the Danvers sisters. But the reminders of what she had been were too intense. So, when the opportunity to move came up, she jumped at the chance. Lena, Kara, and Alex had been so supportive, so wonderful and now all three of her friends were in pain, self-inflicted or otherwise. She was still lost in her thoughts when Kelly and Alex came downstairs. Kelly stepped into the living room to check on Kara, who was sound asleep, curled up like a cat, on the couch.

Alex looked at Sam. 'Bad Dreams', she mouthed. Alex nodded understanding. She looked at the coffee maker as Sam raised her cup. Kelly looked between the two women, recognizing how deep their friendship ran. She pointed towards the porch and Sam and Alex both nodded. Alex poured coffee for her and Kelly and Sam topped off her cup, and the three women headed outside.

"I'm afraid we weren't properly introduced yesterday, I'm Samantha Arias.", as she held out her hand.

"Kelly Olsen.", taking her hand and shaking it. "How did you two meet?"

"A few years back, do you remember the Kryptonian incident, Reign?", Sam began.

"Sam, you don't have to do this.", Alex tried to interject.

"Secrets are what got us here Alex.", Sam responded, then looking at Kelly, "I'm Reign. Or I was."

Kelly looked a little scared. "You're her, the woman that defeated Supergirl."

"I was, Lena could explain this better.", Sam noticed how tense Alex got at the mention of Lena's name, "I had a severe case of split personality disorder. Lena healed me, Kara and Alex accepted me, forgave me and made me part of their family. That's it in a nutshell. Ruby got some great Aunts out of the deal. And I got three of the best friends I could ask for. Now we are here, and I need to tell you two something."

"What's going on Sam?", Alex asked.

"Last night, Kara asked me to text Lena and check on her. She was so upset, I did it. I didn't sleep afterward, thinking I had done the wrong thing.", Sam spit out quickly, "Here are the texts."

"Why in the hell would you do that, after what Lena did?"

"I did it because of Kara.", Sam answered, "She wanted to make sure Lena was safe, was okay."

"Dammit Sam, why didn't you just say no."

"Because she was already upset Alex!", Sam snapped, "Because she cared about Lena, she was in love with Lena and she needed to know for her own sake."

"You had no right!"

"I had every right; she is my friend."

"She is my sister.", Alex bit back.

"Alex, calm down.", Kelly begged, looking at her girlfriend.

"I suppose you support this, even though you have seen what she did to Kara."

"If the request came from Kara, yes, I support it.", Kelly was defiant.

"That woman will chew us up and spit out the scraps, and you think it is okay to check on her!", Alex's voice was getting louder. "You! Are! Out! OF! YOUR!"

Suddenly Kara was standing there, "Alex stop." Kara yelled. "I asked Sam, this isn't her fault."

"You would go back to her if she asked, wouldn't you?", Alex asked, growling, her anger at Lena coming out at everyone.

Kara started to shrink back, "No, No I wouldn't"

"Then why, tell me why you are so concerned about her, after what she did to you, why?", Alex's temper was still rising.

"It was my fault, I lied to her, I didn't reveal my secret to her." Kara screamed back, "I loved her."

"So, her locking you away, putting you in a kryptonite cell, this was acceptable punishment for you?"

"No, of course, it wasn't, but she was mad, she has been mad at Supergirl before.", Kara said.

"You are making excuses for her, she was wrong, it's your secret, you decide who to tell, who to share it with, if she couldn't accept that, then she wasn't the friend you thought she was."

"Alex, she was my best friend."

"NO, I AM YOUR BEST FRIEND!", Alex yelled. Then she turned and headed down to the lake. Her footsteps heavy and her shoulders shaking from crying.

Sam, Kelly and especially Kara were so shocked, they didn't know what to say. Tears were streaming down Kara's face; she had hurt Alex in a way she had never meant too. Ruby came outside, rubbing sleep from her eyes, "Is Auntie A okay?"

Kara looked at Ruby with sadness in her eyes, "No. I think I hurt her."

"What happened, oh never mind, more adult stuff. I'll go check on her Aunt Kara, I'll help you fix this."

"Ruby, honey, this is something we may not be able to fix with a hug.", Sam said looking down at her daughter.

"I know mom, but you guys overthink everything. Sometimes a hug is all you need.", then before any of the adults could say anything, Ruby was moving at super speed towards Alex.

Kelly watched as Ruby stopped next to Alex and just grabbed her hand. She watched her girlfriend, a woman who had seen so much horror in her life, look down and smile at Ruby with all the love in the world. The tears started then as she realized, not for the first time, that she may be completely out of her league trying to help this family heal. To her shock, Kara didn't shy away from the stress this time, she reached out and pulled Kelly into a hug. "I'm sorry Kelly, I didn't mean to hurt Alex."

Kelly couldn't respond, all she could do was cry into Kara's shoulder.

Eliza came down next, still in her pajamas, "What's going on?"

"I hurt Alex, mom.", Kara said her arm around Kelly.

"What happened?", Eliza asked.

Sam and Kara related the tale, including the text to Lena. To their surprise, Eliza sided with Alex. "Kara, Alex sees herself as your protector, Lena has hurt you badly, and I don't know that Alex can let go of that, or if she will even want to."

"She is really mad at me, at us.", Kara said, trying to keep her breathing under control.

"No, she is mad at the situation. You need to give her some time to calm down, and you two need to talk."

"Yes, ma'am.", Kara answered, then Eliza stepped forward and hugged her.

"I'm not mad at you baby, and neither is Alex, but she is going to need a little while to calm down. Sam, can I borrow Ruby for a bit?"

"Sure, if you can peel her away from Alex."

"Actually, I'm going to take Alex and Ruby into town for breakfast, I think Auntie A and I need a little Ruby time. Will you be okay Kara?"

Kara nodded, they would come back, she was sure Eliza and Alex wouldn't leave her.

"Alex?", Eliza yelled down.

Alex turned around, the tears had stopped and she and Ruby were watching the sun play on the lake water. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Let's go-to breakfast, just the three of us.", Eliza yelled back.

Alex and Ruby made their way back up to the porch. Alex looked at the three women she had just fought with and started to say something, but Kara cut her off. "Alex, I'm sorry, this was my fault, this fight, can we talk, just the two of us, when you feel like it."

"When we get back Kara, we will talk, in our usual spot.", she smiled at her sister, a little sadly, but it was enough for Kara to feel a little better.

"Sam, I'm sorry for my outburst, is it okay that Ruby goes with us?"

"Of course, it is Alex, friends disagree, what makes us friends is that we can accept those disagreements and move forward.", Sam answered smiling.

Then Alex turned to Kelly. "Honey, I am so sorry for what I said, your opinion means more to me than you will ever know, and I shouldn't have said what I did. I know right now that you are doubting yourself, and part of that is on me. You are the only person I would ever trust to deal with Kara through this situation, the only one. I hope you can forgive me.

Kelly, speechless at Alex's confession, simply nodded and stepped forward into her arms and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Gross, now I am scarred for life.", Ruby laughed.

Everyone laughed out loud at that. Then Alex pulled Kara into a hug, "We are coming back Kara, we are not leaving you."

Kara released the breath she was holding, "Thank you, Alex, thank you so much."

Alex kissed her on the forehead, "Love you, Kara."

"Love you too Alex."

Ruby ran into the house to get dressed, followed by Alex and Eliza. Jeans and a t-shirt for Alex and Ruby, with reminders to wear a jacket, since was chilly outside. Eliza was wearing a skirt and a flowery blouse with a sweater. As they headed out the door, Eliza suggested they take a walk, maybe look at the house across the road.

"What a wonderful idea.", Kelly stated it would give her a little time with Kara and give her a chance to get to know Sam.

"Is that okay with you Sam?", Kara asked.

"Sounds like fun to me, let me get dressed."

All three women headed in different directions. 20 minutes later they met at the front door. Kara was wearing light-colored jeans, with a Midvale High sweatshirt, her hair up in a ponytail, but no glasses. Kelly was just wearing jeans and a sweater, with a pair of hiking boots. Sam was in dark jeans and a pink sweater with tennis shoes.

"Kara, where are your shoes?", Sam asked.

"I don't have any here that fit. So, I thought I would just go barefoot. You both know who I am, so I don't have to hide the fact that I don't get cold."

"Well, we can't very well argue that point. But don't tell Ruby that, I will never get shoes on her again.", Sam laughed.

"I promise.", Kara said, smiling. It was getting easier she thought.

"Off we go. Do we need to lock up?", Sam asked.

"No, Brainy is here.", Kara responded.

"What's he doing?"

"He was working on something to say thank you to Nia, I poked my head in to check on him when I went upstairs to get dressed.", Kelly answered, "I think he wants to try again to ask her out."

"They make a cute couple.", Kara smiled.

Kelly noticed Sam smile when Kara spoke, and how she seemed to be watching Kara's every movement. When Sam noticed, she blushed and stopped immediately. Sam, it seemed to Kelly had a bit of a crush, but she wasn't pursuing Kara, at least not while Kara was still recovering. Oh well, that was something for another day.

The three-woman decided to check out the house first, it was a cute little 3 bedroom that Sam liked. It would put her close to Kara she thought, and Ruby would have a grandmother figure in Eliza. After checking out the house, they walked down to the lake and started to follow the shoreline, just catching up and enjoying the company of friends.

As the girls were enjoying their walk, Eliza was realizing how much she wanted grandchildren as she watched Alex interact with Ruby. Her oldest daughter had always been good with children but seeing her like this made her ache for a grandchild to spoil. Not that she would mention that to Alex right now. For her part, Alex was thinking the same thing, she loved being Ruby's aunt, but she wanted a child of her own and so did Kelly. Somehow the thought of children with Kelly seemed like a wonderful idea.

An hour later, as if by magic, they all arrived home. Kara looked at Alex, who nodded. Kara headed towards their spot. Alex got Ruby in the house and thanked Kelly and Sam for watching out for Kara, then headed upstairs to the attic. Once in the attic, she headed towards the dormer that led out to the back roof. There was Kara, sitting on a blanket, dressed as she had when they were growing up. Alex had a sudden flashback of 14-year-old Kara, walking off the roof and floating in midair, right in front of her. Her sister could fly, and hopefully, someday soon, she would do it again. Kara looked at her and smiled, and suddenly, she was back in the present.

"Alex, I am so sorry I hurt you, I didn't mean to.", Kara said, tears welling in her eyes.

"Kar, I said some mean stuff too.", Alex smiled. "I don't like Lena, and thanks to what has happened I don't think I could ever forgive her Kara. She hurt one of the most important people in my life. It hit me this morning, what if Brainy and I hadn't found you."

"But you did Alex, you are always there for me."

"But Kara, I could have lost you, again.", Alex looked at Kara and Kara noticed the tears forming in her sister's eyes.

"I'm here Alex, and I promise, I will be so much more careful from now on."

All Alex could do was nod, her sister had so much faith in her. She swallowed the lump in her throat, "Kara, it isn't about you being careful, this is about me being scared of losing you. We both have dangerous jobs, but whenever I picture the future you are always there. I've seen you die Kara, and it broke my heart. What Lena did, everything came back to me, and I let my temper get the best of me, instead of supporting you, I did the same thing she did, I put myself first."

"Alex, you know, you have been my biggest supporter, my best friend, and the best sister I could ever hope for, but more than that, you are my hero. I can't promise you that I will not at least try to forgive Lena for what she has done to us, but I promise, I will never put her before you again."

Kara stood up and helped Alex to her feet, then she wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her. They stood that way for several minutes, eyes closed, just holding one another. Alex opened her eyes slowly and noticed something.

"Kara, we're floating?"

"Hmmm, Alex, we are floating."

"Yeah, you going to try?"

"You want to come?"

"Hell yes."

Kara allowed Alex to turn in her arms, then she closed her eyes for a moment, made sure she was aware of her surroundings, and rocketed up, with Alex laughing in joy, her sister could still fly. They were only gone a few minutes, and Kara was exhausted from the flight, but they stilled smiled at one another.


	6. Lena's POV

Lena picked herself up off the carpet and headed slowly towards the bathroom, her pounding head reminding her of what she had done to herself last night. "This is why I don't drink Irish Whiskey all the time.", she thought to herself, over the sound of her heart beating in her head. She was so unfocused; she didn't even notice the shower running. She started to sit down, when her head finally caught up with her body, she looked up at the shower and noticed blonde hair. Then her mouth went to gear, "Kara, what the fuck are you doing in my shower?"

The girl in the shower turned around, "Who's Kara?"

Lena closed her eyes. Head still pounding, she took a breath, and then asked, "What is your name?"

"You pay me, so if you want to call me Kara, that's fine by me."

The flippant comment made Lena's hackles rise, "1. Have you seen my phone? And 2, finish and get out. Now."

"Your phones on the bar, you dropped it on the floor when you passed out darling, and I'll leave after I get paid."

"Fine, turn around so I can finish."

Lena conducted her private business, and after washing her hands, she went back out to her office. She grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge under her bar, her phone, and her blouse. She gave a moment's thought to where her slacks might me, then figured it didn't matter then she went to her desk and opened the lower drawer, grabbed two aspirin and swallowed them down with a swig of her water. Then she looked at her phone, lifted it and the facial recognition software finally opened, and there was Dr. Quinzel's face staring at her, with a message wanting to know if she really wanted to delete the contact's information. She hovered over yes for just a moment, then changed her mind and clicked no. "If I don't call her, Sam will just do it for me.", she thought. She hadn't been a very good friend to Sam since she had moved back to Metropolis, calling her mainly when business needed to be done, and on Ruby's birthdays, but that was it. Was this how it always was with her, friends were disposable, easy to replace, or in her case, not so easy.

After her mother died, Lena had ended up in an orphanage, not for long, but enough to see that her intelligence made her different, and her sadness had put a distance between herself and the other children. Even at 4 years old, she knew she was different. Lena knew in her head that her problems started there, she was her mother's daughter and the loss at such a young age prevented her from forming solid, trusting relationships, believing, even though it wasn't true, that her mother betrayed her by dying and leaving Lena alone.

The blonde emerged from the bathroom at that point, derailing Lena's train of thought. She walked up to Lena's desk, looking immaculate, and asked point-blank for her money. Lena handed her the cash, and the blonde took it casually, not even bothering it to count it. "I hope Kara's not the jealous type, darling.", she said, then walked off.

Lena looked at the blonde walking out and couldn't say a word because in her heart she knew she would never know.

She stared at the door for another five minutes, tears stinging her eyes. She grabbed her phone and called up Kara's messages, the last one dated just over a month ago, on the date she had trapped Kara in the fortress. Not thinking, she typed out quickly, 'I'm sorry' and pressed send. Her front desk drawer buzzed and scared the shit out of her. "Dammit", she said under her breath. Then she reached into the drawer and pulled out Kara's phone, earpiece and the picture she had shattered after her brother told her about Kara. The message was just staring at her on the screen of Kara's phone, along with hundreds from Alex, Lucy, Lois, Brainy and all the other super friends. She clicked the home button, and the password icon popped up, so she entered Alex's birthdate, fail, she closed her eyes praying her next choice would fail as well. She keyed her birthday, and it worked. There, staring her right in the face was a picture of Kara and Lena smiling at the camera. "Well, shit."

She closed her phone and turned in her chair, looking out her balcony window. So many times, she had waited for Supergirl to fly in unannounced, to talk, to argue, and to save her life. In the end that didn't matter, because whenever Kara was with her, she was going to be safe anyway. "She promised to always keep me safe, and damn if she didn't do it." Lena had saved the girl of steel many times, but she failed to save Kara.

Lena flashbacked to the day she left Kara in the Fortress. She had been surprised by the Luthor Protocol but had reversed it as quickly as she could. She was open with Lena, showing her whatever she could when Rama Khan appeared, she jumped to Lena's defense and was so proud when Lena pushed him back. Then Lena let her catch her stealing Myriad, so she could close the door of the trap she had set. Kara was defenseless as Lena tore her apart, even admitting that she killed Lex for Kara and her friends, to protect them. As many times as she pictured it, it was never Supergirl, with all her confidence and swagger defending herself, it was Kara, apologizing and begging for a second chance. Not once did she ask for forgiveness, only for understanding. Then Lena locked her in that cage, told her she shouldn't have treated her like a villain, smiled and walked away, she thought Supergirl wanted loose when she heard Kara's final words, "Please don't leave me alone."

The tears started again, she was a wreck, her boxes weren't doing her any good, the drinking had been a waste of time, she couldn't and wouldn't ever forget those words now, now that she understood what they meant.

Lena's thoughts were still a jumble, suddenly she was a little girl, trying to show something to her brother, Lex. He looked at it, recognized what the little machine would do and ran to Lillian to show her what he had done. Her brother, he took her idea and took credit for it, he betrayed her over and over again.  
Now she was in her office again, pushed from the balcony, she could feel the ground rushing towards her, and suddenly there she was, Kara, saving her life, asking some inane question about how they had dropped something. She was so warm, so caring.

Back to Lillian, a lecture after catching her with a senior girl, telling her what a disappointment she was, that she didn't deserve to be a Luthor if she was going to "fuck anything that sashayed through the door." Lex was standing behind her, laughing. He had told.

There was Kara, standing up for her in front of Lillian. Reinforcing Lena's thought that she could be a good person.

There was Lex again, jealous of her awards upon graduation from College when she turned 19, telling her she wouldn't amount to anything if she didn't work with him.

Kara telling her that she could anything.

Mercy telling her she could have it all, then leaving.

Lillian calling her a failure.

Lex berating her.

Supergirl's anger with her.

Kara's hope for her

Lex's manipulations.

Kara's support.

Lex's betrayal.

Kara's love.

At that thought, Lena lost it, she screamed at the walls of her office, she threw everything off her desk, glasses, bottles anything that she could. And when she ran out things to break, she started flipping furniture.

When she exhausted her physical strength, she sat at the balcony door, the one that would never hold the face of the beautiful blonde she had so utterly failed, she simply cried.

She couldn't remember how long she sat there, staring at the sky, staring at space, wishing things could be different, knowing they would never be the same again.

She staggered over to her desk and picked up the phone, selecting contacts, she found Sam and dialed.

At the Danvers home in Midvale, they had settled Kara onto the couch in the living room, since the flight wore her out. Everyone else was in the kitchen drinking coffee and letting the tension of the morning settle down, Kelly and Alex were playfully flirting, while Eliza and Sam were discussing the house. Then out of the blue, Sam's phone buzzed, with Kara's number. They all stopped and stared, Sam looked to Alex, and Alex looked at Kelly, Kelly, and Alex both nodded, skeptically.

"Hello"

"Kara, Kara it's Lena, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Kara was up instantly and out the door, hearing Lena's voice on the other end.

"Lena, stop, it's Sam."

"What Sam, oh god, what did I do, I wasn't thinking straight."

"You scared her; I'll call you back in 10 minutes."

While Sam, Alex, Kelly, and Eliza calmed Kara down and reassured her that Lena was not going to hurt her, Lena was staring at her phone, in utter horror at what she'd done.

After Kara had calmed down enough to talk, although she was still shaking, she looked to Sam. "Sam you have to call her back, you have to check on her, something is wrong, her heartbeat was all wrong."

"Kara, honey, relax, I'm going to call her, but not with you in earshot. You were calm, okay, you need to relax, none of us will let anything happen to you."

Kara looked at each set of eyes, they all held the same promise. She took a deep breath and whispered, "Okay."

Alex piped up, biting the inside of her cheek, she would support Kara, "Kara, how about you, me, mom and Kelly go look at the house again."

Kara knew they were babying her because of her fear, and she felt guilty, but this time, she had been petrified. She nodded her agreement. She hugged Sam, and whispered, "If she needs us, you have to go, she can't be alone." Then so that no one would question her, "Thank you, Sam."

The four women then headed around to the front of the house so that Sam could call Lena back.  
"Lena?"

"Sam, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to call you Kara, I was drunk, I am drunk, I was freaking out, it's been a bad morning."

"Lena?"

"Sorry, I'm babbling."

"What's going on?"

Lena took a deep breath, "This would be easier in person, but I was thinking this morning about what happened between me and Kara and what I did, and I freaked out and my memories were coming to me, and I lost it, and I destroyed my office."

"Lena, are you alone?"

"Yes, why?"

"Were you alone last night?"

"Yes", but Sam was concentrating on her heartrate.

"You're lying?", Sam asked.

"How could you know? You heard my heart?", Lena was surprised.

"A hooker Lena?"

"Yes, blonde with blue eyes."

"Don't ever tell Kara that.", Sam snapped.

"I won't.", Lena heard protectiveness in Sam's voice, that was her Ruby voice.

"Sorry Lena, I shouldn't have snapped."

"Sam this is stressful on everyone, especially Kara, this was never my intent."

"I'm coming to National City."

"What, why?", Lena's voice held a little fear.

"To support you, Lena, Kara said if you needed help, one of us needed to go, and she can't."  
"Why can't she?"

"You don't want to know."

"Tell me, Sam, tell me now.", she snapped.

"The sound of your voice terrified her.", Sam said, knowing there was no way to soften that blow.

"Oh", Lena sighed.

"I will be there by the end of the day.", Sam said, "Call Dr. Quinzel as soon as we get off the phone."

"I will, I promise, but she looks like Kara."

"Lena, right now I don't care if she looks like Livewire, call her. You need help and the only qualified Psychologist I know is working with Kara."

"Okay."

"Bye Lena, I'll be there, I promise."

"Bye Sam, thank you."

Sam put on a burst of speed and rounded the corner of the house, stopping in time to avoid hitting the girls. They all shrunk in fear, but Kara's fear stood out the most.

"Oh god Kara, I'm sorry."

"You move so fast", she panted out, "I didn't hear you coming."

"Are you okay? Kara?"

"I'm okay, sorry."

Sam gathered her in a hug, and Kara relaxed.

"We're fine too, thanks for asking.", Alex said sarcastically.

Kelly looked at Alex then back at Sam then back to Alex. Alex looked and then, her features softened. Seems like someone else was going to have her back when it came to protecting Kara.

They walked back around the corner and onto the porch. Kara and Sam took the swing, Eliza the rocker and Kelly and Alex were leaning against the rail. "So, what's going on?", Kelly asked.

Sam took a deep breath, she looked at Kara, who nodded, "Kara asked me to go and check on Lena if she needed help, she needs help."

"What about Kara, Sam?", Alex asked.

"This is for Kara, Alex. We all know you don't like her, but to Kara, this is part of the healing process. If we can prove that Lena is getting help, is safe, Kara may bounce back faster.", Kelly answered so Sam didn't have to defend herself.

"Damn, 3 against 2.", Alex smiled, she saw the same protectiveness in Kelly that she had seen in Sam.

"Sorry daughter of mine, 4 against 1.", Eliza piped up, glad that Alex could find humor in the situation.

Ruby and Brainy picked that moment to come downstairs, "Do you need me to go, mom?"

"No baby, you can stay here and help take care of Aunt Kara.", Sam answered, smiling.

"Can I show her some of my powers."

Sam looked to Kara, who seemed so much calmer than 20 minutes ago. Kara looked at Ruby and pictured herself at that age, if only she had the chance to work with Kal, then back at Sam, and nodded yes.

Sam sighed, "Yes, but no flying without Aunt Kara present."

"Yes ma'am.", her joy almost causing her to explode.

"I have to pack and catch a train."

"Sam, you can fly.", Kara whispered.

"What, oh yeah, but I haven't practiced."

"I'll take you, but it will have to be slow, is that okay."

Sam's heart leaped at the chance, so Kara gave a fifteen-minute how-to for turning and flying. Once they landed, Sam tucked Kara in and promised to return by Tuesday. Then she grabbed a small bag and leaped into the air. Fortunately, it was Sunday, so no would be at L-Corp to notice.

"She is going to need a uniform if this is to continue.", Brainy said, already connecting to the servers at the DEO.

Meanwhile, back at L-Corp, Lena was staring at the picture of Harleen Quinzel on her phone. Her finger hovered over the call button. Finally, after several deep breaths, she dialed the phone.

"This is Harleen."

"Hello, Dr. Quinzel?"

"That's me, Ms. Lena Luthor, to what do I have the honor of this call."

"I need your help Dr. Quinzel, please?", Lena almost begged.

Harleen turned serious, "The phone is not a place for this type of conversation Ms. Luthor, are you having any thoughts of harming yourself or others?"

"No.", Lena was slightly shocked by the turn of the conversation.

"Any self-destructive behavior?"

A deep breath, "Yes", she stuttered out.

"Any self-harm Ms. Luthor?"

"Does drinking count?"

"How much?"

"I don't know."

"Then yes it counts, until further notice, I am your doctor, no more alcohol."

"Excuse me."

"You heard me, Ms. Luthor, if I am treating you, you have to follow my instructions. Are we clear?"

"Yes ma'am", Lena Luthor said quickly.

"Good, now, where are you?"

"My office.", Lena answered.

"Why are you at work on a Sunday Ms. Luthor?"

"I can hide here, no one will bother me. And right now, I am waiting for a friend."

"Once your friend arrives, where would you like to meet."

"Uhm, you're in National City?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, my partner and I are in town for the botany exhibition at National City Gardens."

"Botany?"

"I assure you Ms. Luthor my interest in flowers stops at the roses that I purchase for my wife, Pamela. But since she was one of the primary speakers, we couldn't miss the event."

"Public or private Dr. Quinzel?"

"Considering who you are and my current position as head of Arkham Asylum in Gotham, perhaps a private meeting would be best."

"Is my apartment okay?"

"Yes ma'am, text me when your friend arrives, and we will arrange a time."

"Thank you Dr. Quinzel."

"Call me Harley, I expect to hear from you later today."

"Thank you, Harley."

Lena disconnected the call, what luck, that the doctor was in town. Now to wait for Sam and put on some clothes.

15 minutes later, Lena came out of the bathroom, to see a very windblown Samantha Arias at her balcony door. She rushed over and opened the door, pulling Sam in and hugging her.

"Are you hurt; your office looks like you could have given Reign a run for her money?"

"No, only my pride, and probably my checkbook."

"Did you call her?"

"Yes, she said to call as soon as you got here to set up a meeting."

"She's in town?"

"Yes, her wife is speaking at the Botany Symposium."

"Her wife is Dr. Pamela Isley."

"How do you know?"

"She was sitting across the table when we met them."

"Oh"

"Now you want to tell me what happened after I clean up this mess?", Sam asked, then blurred as she moved at superspeed to clean up the office.

"Uhm, your powers?"

"Are not an issue right now, Kara is helping me with them."

"Relax Sam."

"Two of my best friends are nervous wrecks and another one wants to forget one of said friends exists. Relaxing is not currently in my job description Lena."

"Sorry, really Sam, I'm sorry. I had a bit of a breakdown earlier, I kept seeing all the betrayal in my life and there was Kara, always full of hope and telling me how good I could be. But one image, the one of her as Supergirl when I told her I had synthesized Kryptonite, I thought it was anger, but it wasn't, was it Sam?"

"No Lena, it wasn't anger, it was fear and disappointment."


	7. Don't Forget

"I can understand the fear, but why the disappointment?", Lena asked, not quite sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"Lena, Kara puts you up on a pedestal just like Alex, once she decided that you were someone she could trust, that she could care about, it hurt her that you had developed the one thing that can hurt her.", Sam answered.

"But I didn't know she was Supergirl.", Lena tried to answer, but she sounded hollow, even to herself.

"But you knew that they were close. That Kryptonite was one of the reasons she waited so long to tell you."

"She told you who she is?"

"Because of Ruby, Lena, and because we are so far away, she figured people couldn't connect Ruby and me to her. Do you remember when the Kryptonians took over National City, 4, 4 ½ years ago?"

"Yes, they used Myriad. It was all over the news."

"That's what that was? Kara was given a choice by her Non, 2 of her friends and one girl she barely knew flung themselves from a rooftop. She saved her friends, but she was too late to save the girl, she suffered that guilt for months afterward."

"How do you know this Sam?"

"Kara and I, we talk and text all the time, and when I ask her a hard question, she keeps a notebook, she writes the questions down, and once a week she would write me a letter, answering any questions that needed more than a phone call or a text plus anything else she would want to talk about. She carries the guilt of every person she feels like she has failed Lena, just like you carry the guilt of what your brother did. In her eyes Lena, you were more of a Supergirl than she could ever be.', Sam's answer brought more tears to Lena's eyes.

"She told you that?", Lena asked.

"Over and over. The most heart-wrenching thing is how many times she wanted to tell you about Supergirl, but she was so scared to lose you, she couldn't.", Sam was starting to cry.

"Sam, what's wrong?"

"In all those letters Lena, I always had to hear about her feelings for you, and part of me wondered if Kara or anyone could ever love me like she loved you. And now, she's so broken, I want to, but can't tell her how I feel."

"Oh god, Sam", Lena gripped her friend, holding her in a tight hug, letting her release some of what she must be feeling.

Sam cried for just a few minutes, finally got herself under control, and then, "I'm sorry Lena, I came here to support you."

"It's okay Sam, you came here because you care for two people, me and Kara."

"Don't you need to call Dr. Quinzel?"

"Oh, yes."

"I'm going to step into the bathroom and clean up a bit, and we need a car, I would rather people not see me flying all over town. This whole superhero thing is a bit much."

Lena smiled and dialed her new psychologist. Harley picked up on the first ring, "Hello Ms. Luthor."

"Hi Harley, please call me Lena."

"Has your friend arrived Lena?"

"Yes, she has. So, what time would be best for you?"

"How about say 4:30, maybe 5:00 at the latest, Pamela's speech is scheduled to end by 3:30, but I don't know about the Q & A."

"Let's say 5:00, I will text you the address, I just need your vehicle plate number for the guard."

"I'll text it to you."

"Thanks again, Harley."

"Your welcome Lena."

Sam came out of the restroom looking like she felt a little better. "All set?"

"Yes, they are coming to the apartment around 5:00."

"Okay, well how about we get something for lunch, now I understand why Kara eats so much, I'm starving."

"Sounds like a plan, I still feel hungover and something gross and greasy would probably help."

"Big Belly Burger?", Sam asked, almost drooling.

"Yes, sound like a plan, Sam."

"I'll drive Lena."

"Okay", she answered, just a bit of a smile showing.

Meanwhile, back in Midvale Kara is dozing on the couch, while Ruby and Brainy were trying to design a uniform for Sam on Brainy's tablet. "Pants or Skirt?", Brainy ask.

"Oh, definitely Pants, mom hates a skirt."

"Cape?"

"Oh yeah, like Aunt Kara's"

"Mask?"

"Yeah, mom's face is pretty well known since she is part of L-Corp, so mask is definite."

"Okay, so the design should look a little like Kara's?"

"Yes, but with a jacket like top?"

"What about colors?"

"No black", Ruby answered.

"What are you two up to?", Kara asked groggily.

"We are designing a costume for Samantha."

That woke her up just a bit, "Does she know?"

"Nope, this just preliminary.", Ruby laughed.

"You know Ruby, she really doesn't want to be a hero."

"Mom could watch our backs, while we work together."

"You have this all planned out?", Kara asked.

"Aunt Kara, I have been planning this since you told us you were Supergirl. You don't realize how much I want to be just like you, I have all your powers, but mom wonders if I will be as strong since they developed so much later."

"Auntie A would be a better judge of that sweetheart; she is kind of an expert on my development."

"You think she would help us?"

"Ruby, Auntie A isn't going to let you show off your powers without being right there, you know she loves you to death."

"Almost as much as Kelly."

"Yeah, almost.", Kara answered as Kelly walked in the door from the porch.

"My ears were burning."

"We were just talking about how much Auntie A loves you, Aunt Kelly.", Ruby exaggerated her words to get everyone laughing.

"I love her too."

Suddenly there was a loud boom outside, causing Kara to cower. Ruby, jumped to Kara's side on the couch, while Brainy and Kelly stood in front of her. From outside they heard Alex, "Alura, calm down, she's in the house."

"Mom?", Kara whispered.

Alura Zor-El entered the living room in a flash, seeing her daughter on the couch cowering, but surrounded by three people, she stopped. "Kara?"

Alex came in the door behind Alura, and Alura turned, almost defensively. Alex stopped but didn't cower. "Alura, she's not physically hurt, but she scared and unsure of herself."

"Lena Luthor did this? She hurt Kara?"

"Yes.", Alex answered.

"Where is she?", Alura growled.

"Alura, calm down."

"She hurt my child, my only child and you are telling me to calm down. Where is she?", Alura growled.

Alex was a brave woman, but even she knew that this could get ugly fast, and Kara was in no condition, mentally or physically to go up against her mom. "She's in the city Alura, she can't hurt Kara anymore."

"That's for me to judge. Alura said, as she turned on her heel in anger, forgetting her daughter, and stomped out the door, she was airborne before anyone could speak.

"Alex, call Sam, call her now," Kara yelled.

Alex was already dialing the number. Kara was jumping off the couch, running out the door. She had to get to Sam. Alex was yelling for her to slow down, but Kara was so focused, she didn't hear anything.

Sam's phone rang just as she swallowed a bite of her burger, she waited a moment to answer, then picked up. "Hey Alex, is Kara okay?"

"Sam, Alura is on her way."

"Who?", then it dawned on her, "Oh shit, she's coming here, Alex, what do I do?"

"Lena has a panic room, get her in there now. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Alura can't get her hands-on Lena, Kara would never forgive herself or her mother."

Lena having heard the panic in Sam's voice, was starting to panic, "Sam, what's wrong, who's coming, Kara? Is she angry?"

"Lena do you have a panic room, is it Supergirl proof?"

"Yes, I had it built, and Kara helped test it. Why?"

"Get in it now, Alura is on her way here now."

"Alura? Kara's mother?"

"Yes, and she's coming here?"

"Oh god, oh god", Lena was panicking.

Sam closed her eyes, listening, trying to focus on sounds, she could hear the wind, a body and another, a heartbeat she recognized, Kara's. "Lena now, go."

Lena broke out of her trance and bolted for the panic room, she turned and slammed the button just in time to see the red glow of Alura's eyes.

The door slammed shut and Sam stood. She knew she couldn't face down a fully powered Kryptonian, but she had made a promise to Kara, and she would do her best to keep it.

Alura landed, the only thing that kept the floor from cracking was the fact that Lena had the whole building built to survive just about anything.

"World killer?"

Sam winced at that name, "My name is…"

"I don't care what your name is, Lena Luthor is behind that door, and I am here to judge her for what she has done to my daughter."

"Alura, I can't let you do that."

"Think you can stand against me, world killer?"

Kara landed badly on the balcony outside, and entered the apartment, she spoke in Kryptonian to her mother. "Mother, stop this now."

Alura turned to her daughter, "I will have judgment."

"Not here and not now mother, Lena Luthor is under my protection, you may not pass judgment until I allow it. And she is not the world killer, she is Samantha Arias, and she is my protector."

"Kara?"

Kara switched back to English, "Mother, I am sorry, but I can't allow you to hurt someone important to me, and these women are. Please forgive me for overstepping your judgment just this once. And then take me home to Eliza's." Kara barely got the last words out before she passed out onto Lena's white carpeted floor. Sam was at her side in an instant, with Alura close behind. Alura was looking Kara over, then looked up to Sam. Sam was acting as if Alura didn't even exist, she was just watching Kara, with a look Alura had seen before. "You care deeply for my daughter do you not, Samantha?"

Sam looked up at Alura, "What did she say? I don't speak Kryptonian."

"You are her protector Samantha Arias, and I am sorry for any pain I may have caused you. I don't understand, if you are her protector, why are you not home with her?"

"She asked me to watch over Lena, to make sure she was okay, Kara needs to heal, and I would do anything to help with that."

"Including not telling her how you feel, Samantha?"

Sam could feel the tears, "Take her home, please. I can't do this right now, I will tell her when the time is right, but not now, not while she is still in love with Lena."

"Do not take too long Samantha."

Alura lifted Kara in her arms and was about to take off when Sam stopped her and kissed Kara lightly on the forehead. "Make sure to tell Alex that it looked like exhaustion, she has pushed too hard today."

Alura smiled, nodded and lifted off.

As Alura cleared the apartment's balcony, Sam heard the door to the panic room open. She heard Lena's gentle footsteps in the carpet as she walked across the room to stand beside her, she heard the gentle sobbing as Lena watched Kara being taken away, but more than any other noise, she listened to Kara relaxed heartbeat as she slept in her mother's arms.

When she finally flew far enough away that Sam could no longer concentrate on the heartbeat, she turned to Lena. "I'm sorry, did you say something, Lena?"

"You really care for her Sam?"

"She has been a huge part of my life for almost 3 years, I can't picture it any other way."

"You should tell her that."

"Lena I can't, she still cares about you, and I don't want to be a consolation prize. I want Kara to look at me like she looks at you."

"You mean like she did.", Lena said.

"Lena, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

"Sam, it's okay, I knew what you meant, but Kara, she is not the same woman I locked up in the Fortress. She's not coming back to me after this. I'm woman enough to admit, I fucked up, but you Sam, maybe you two have a chance."

"Maybe.", Sam said softly, "Thanks, Lena."

"You're welcome, now I guess I better clean up a little bit, before the Doctor and her wife show up."

"I can help, no superpowers this time."

While Sam tackled the kitchen, Lena proceeded to the bar, where she made it a point to get rid of everything with liquor in it.

"What ya doing Lee?"

"Harley, I mean Dr. Quinzel, basically told me, no more drinking. Otherwise, she won't treat me, and after the office, I believe I need to re-examine therapy instead of my usual ignore the pain till it eats me up routine."

"Lena Luthor, admitting she is wrong and needs help, the world must have stopped.", Sam laughed.

"Very funny Ms. Arias, you do realize you still work for me?"

"Oh shit.", Sam snickered.

"What?"

"I want to move back."

"What?!"

"There's a house across from Kara's mom, it would be perfect for me and Ka, I mean Ruby."

"Oh god Sam please, Kara sent you here, you have pretty much told me how you feel. I can be happy for you and sad for me at the same time. I know I lost her, I know I fucked up, I know I will never be anything more to Kara, than the woman who abandoned her." As those words left her mouth, Lena dropped to the couch, as it came back to her what she had done, the words Kara said as she walked away, "Please don't leave me alone."

A she slid down the couch, the tears started again, "Lena, Lena what's wrong, what are you thinking?" Sam cried as she rushed across the room.

"I don't know if she has told anyone, but the last thing she said to me, she was begging me not to leave her alone. Sam, I broke Kara, even if I had known she couldn't stand to be alone, I was so angry, I don't know if I would have stayed. Part of me wanted to stay, to fix what was broken between us, but the other part, even after she told me she was Supergirl, that's the part I listened to. I wanted to be the victim Sam, I wanted her to save me, just like she did as Kara whenever I needed her to, she was always there to save me. In my anger I only saw Supergirl, I forgot about Kara, just like she said I would if I knew her secret Sam, just like everyone does."

Sam pulled Lena into a hug, holding her tight as her body was wracked with sobs. "Promise me, Sam, don't ever forget about Kara, let her always be Kara to you. Promise me."

"I promise Lena", Sam responded quietly, then she sat there on the floor and let Lena cry until she fell asleep.

Sam had never been so thankful for her strength as she was when she lifted Lena off the floor like a child and settled her on the couch. She had known Lena for over 4 years and had never seen her like this. Her walls weren't just cracked, they were destroyed, and it seemed like her heart was broken. After making sure Lena was completely asleep, Sam set the alarm on her phone for 3:30 and then made a superspeed run through the apartment to clean up. She was pretty impressed with herself, she only broke one vase and one rather expensive looking wine glass.

After making sure that the apartment was clean, and that Lena was still asleep, Sam stepped out of the balcony, dialing her phone as she stepped through the doors. Alex picked up on the first ring.

"Hey Sam, you okay?"

"Yeah, Kara showed up and set her mom straight.", Sam answered, "Is she okay Alex?"

"Sam she's fine, she's in the living room asleep on the couch, Ruby and Nia are watching over her."

"Oh good, they made it back. Don't let Ruby be a bad influence."

"My wonderful adopted niece could never be a bad influence on anyone, at all, ever.", Sam answered sarcastically.

"Yeah, her and Nia will have us forming a Justice League before dinner time."

"She has already designed a costume for you and herself."

"Alex, I don't want to be a Superhero."

"Kara told her the same thing."

"That woman knows me too well. god, I love her.", realizing what she said, she tried to cover herself, "As a friend", she blurted out.

"God you suck at hiding your feelings, you know that?", Alex laughed.

"Don't tell her and don't tell Ruby."

"Oh yeah, cause then you would be Captain Obvious because everyone in the house, except Kara and maybe Brainy haven't noticed at all."

"Your mom?"

"Eliza sees and knows all, don't worry, she loves you."

"I brought Ruby."

"You protect Kara."

"Alex don't ever let me forget, she is Kara, she's not Supergirl.", Sam was crying.

"Hey Sam, you won't honey."

"Lena did, she stopped seeing Kara when she found out, she admitted it to me earlier. I don't want to stop seeing her as anything other than my Kara."

"We won't Sam, we won't.", Alex was crying too.

After crying together for a few minutes, Sam sniffled, "I better get off here, I need a shower before I wake Lena. Her shrink will be here around five."

"You found a shrink who makes house calls?"

"No, she was in town, she from Gotham."

"Who?"

"Dr. Harleen Quinzel."

"Wow, holy shit, that woman is a genius."

"Really."

"Yeah she made a name for herself working with some whacko in Gotham, the Clown or something like that, and then was named the youngest Director of Arkham Asylum."

"So, she's really good."

"Oh yes."

"Thank god."

"How is Lena doing." Alex made sure to ask.

"She's okay, I hope the therapy helps, she knows she messed up, it's eating at her pretty bad."

"I'll let Kara know you called. Bye Sam."

"Thanks, Alex, for everything, give Ruby a kiss for me and let Kara know I asked about her."

"I will", Alex said as she clicked end.

Sam looked down at her phone, clicking end and closing the phone app, and there were Kara and Ruby smiling at her from her phone's wallpaper. She looked at it for a few minutes, before she whispered to the wind, I love you, Kara.


	8. Enter Harley

Sam's alarm went off at 3:30, so she walked over and lightly shook Lena awake. "Lena, it's time to get up. Dr. Quinzel will be here shortly"

"Don't feel sick, can we skip the doctor?"

"Not this time Lena, get up, you need a shower and I need to order dinner."

Lena, who was still groggy, "Don't forget the potstickers, Kara likes potstickers."

Sam winced, thankful that Lena was still half asleep when she said that, or she'd never have her ready in time. "Lena, get up or I am going to wake you up like I wake up Ruby."

"Mmmhmmm"

Sam rolled her eyes and bit her lip, then picked up the bottle of water she had set out for Lena and blew on it lightly, then when she judged it cold enough, she cracked the lid and poured it down Lena's back.

"Oh my god, that's cold. What was that for? I'm awake. I'll never get the couch dry. You are so fired?", she screamed in three languages and shock.

"I did warn you.", Sam stated.

"I'm up"

"Good, go take a shower, I will order food, no wine, so water and green tea, right?"

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Remember what we all like?"

"It's the mom gene, not to mention, no matter how much I might be stressed and upset, I still care deeply for all my friends."

Lena looked at Sam, smiled, and said, "I don't deserve you."

"I know"

Lena got up and stretched, she was being a little bitchy, Sam was attractive, not that Lena was interested, but the scientist was curious. Lena knew she was beautiful, but Sam didn't even give her a second glance, hell not even a first. Guess her VP was in love.

She padded into the bathroom and checked her phone.

"No work Lena!", she heard Sam.

"Texting address and sending message to the gate about allowing the car in.", she also tapped out a quick email to her executive assistant, to arrange for Sam to be able to work from home going forward, regardless of where home was. Then she had another idea, she sent a quick text to her realtor, 'Becky, can you please get me some information about a home for sale in Midvale, she added the address, want to purchase and close quickly, off L-Corp books, this is a private purchase.'

After pressing send she jumped into the shower and let herself relax into the hot water. When she got out, she looked at her phone, she already had a response. She dried her hair, pulled it up into a messy bun and then looked into the mirror and decided it wasn't worth the effort today. Then she opened the message.

B 'Lena, property is available, cash sale will allow close in minimum 7 days, kinda old, not your style, but you're the boss.'

L 'Make our usual offer, cash sale is perfect, keys in two to three would be nice'

B 'Offer made already, you normally set your mind before you contact me.'

L 'Thank you, Becky.'

B 'You're welcome, should have an answer later tonight. Should I text.'

L 'That would be wonderful.'

B 'Will do, have a good evening.'

L 'You too.'

Lena stepped out of the bathroom and entered her closet, "What to wear when you meet your psychologist for the first time.", she thought to herself. She settled on black jeans and a grey sweater, with ballet flats. Then headed for the living room.

Sam had set the table, and the food arrived shortly after Lena got out of the bathroom. Their guests would be in shortly. A text appeared on her phone.

B 'Offer accepted, no need to provide cash up front, you can have keys on Tuesday. I went to school with the realtor in Midvale. House was inspected before going to market, so the title is clear, all yours a week from Monday.'

Lena looked at Sam, made sure her attention was somewhere else and typed, 'Name on the title, Samantha Arias, VP L-Corp. Part of relocation bonus. Have keys delivered at residence across from her on Tuesday at 5 pm please.'

B 'That's specific.'

L 'I can do surprises.'

B 'Okay, I've got everything, hope she likes the house.'

L 'Thanks, Becky.'

B 'You're welcome Ms. Luthor.'

Lena clicked her phone closed, pleased with herself, and then received a text from security, her guests had arrived.

Meanwhile in Midvale

"Alura, she is just asleep."

"I did this to her Eliza."

"No, you reacted as any mother would have in this situation."

"You were calm, according to Alexandra."

"I have Alex, and she would have killed Lena enough for both of us."

"Eliza, I don't recall if I have ever said this before but thank you for raising my daughter. She is an amazing woman, and that is in part, because of you."

"She gets it from you as well Alura. She is an amazing young woman."

"She is more like Astra than me. I was always the less emotional one, I look at everything and will overthink it. I like order, not chaos. Astra, she was passionate, especially when it came to others. I know everyone on this planet sees her as a villain, but she truly wanted what was best for everyone."

"Not everyone thinks the worst of Astra, Kara has told me and Sam all about her, I think she must have been an amazing woman to make such an impact on Kara's life."

"She was, I made many mistakes in my past, and my sister is the one I regret the most. You brought up Samantha? What is your opinion of her?"

"Sam is amazing, she is very protective of Kara, she thinks she is hiding her feelings as well, I think she is absolutely in love with our girl."

Normally Alura would be upset about having to share Kara, but with this woman, there was only admiration and acceptance. "She is, I told her to tell Kara how she feels, not to take too long."

"Excellence advice."

"Astra, she was once in love with a young scientist, a beautiful woman, who I think would have been perfect for her, but she waited, frightened of being rejected, and the woman found another mate. Astra settled for Non. She would like Samantha I do believe."

Alex came in at that moment, "Sorry to interrupt."

"Alexandra, I believe I owe you an apology."

"No ma'am, we have all been quite stressed out about Kara."

"How long will she be asleep?", Alura asked.

"Considering her current state and the fact that I don't really think she has been sleeping, I wouldn't be surprised if she sleeps for 18 to 24 hours.", Alex answered.

"Will she be comfortable?"

"With those two guarding her, you better believe it.", Alex answered, pointing at Nia and Ruby.

"Very well, is there anywhere I could get some rest?"

"You can use my bed.", Eliza answered, "if you like."

"Please", Eliza said sweetly and showed Alura up to her room.

Lena's private elevator opened and there was Dr. Harleen Quinzel in all her glory. Dressed down it seems, wearing black jeans and a red sweater, red and white converse high tops, but the thing that she couldn't stop seeing, Dr. Quinzel was wearing black-rimmed glasses, just like Kara. Sam noticed as well, stepping up to give Lena some support before Lena lost it.

"Dr. Quinzel, I'm Samantha Arias, a friend of Lena's.", Sam held out her hand, which Harleen took and shook gently.

"I'm Harley, Ms. Arias, it rolls off the tongue so much easier. May I introduce my wife, Dr. Pamela Isley."

The woman that stepped out of the elevator was gorgeous, Sam thought, not really her type, but still just wow. Red hair pulled into a loose ponytail, Dr. Isley was wearing a pair of black jeans, with a green silk top, with a pair of green ankle boots. But for all the beauty, Sam immediately noticed the intelligence in those green eyes. "A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Isley." Sam shook hands with her as well.

"Ms. Arias, a delight, and please call me Pam, I have been Dr. Isley all afternoon, and it gets a bit tiring after a little while."

"Then please call me Sam, would you ladies like something to eat, and perhaps water or green tea."

Lena was still speechless. The shock of the blue eyes behind those glasses was weighing on her hard. Harley placed her hands on Lena's shoulders and spoke softly, "Ms. Luthor, whatever happened, I truly believe it can be fixed, you've already taken the first step, so take a deep breath and relax, I'm here to help, not judge."

Lena took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "Sorry, you remind me of someone, someone very important to me."

"Lena, step one, you don't have to apologize to me, as I said, I'm here to help, so let's start by asking her name."

"Su, sorry Kara Danvers, we were friends, for 3 years.", hearing her voice crack just a bit.

"See, that wasn't so hard.", Harley said. "Now Sam said something about dinner."

Sam and Pamela were talking, when Sam heard Harley, "Yes ma'am, I ordered Chinese, I thought you two might be a little sick of room service, and Noonan's has some of the best food in town."

Harley sighed, "Thank god, the only thing better could have been Big Belly Burger.", then she giggled, as Pamela rolled her eyes.

"She's addicted, I'm trying to get her treated for it.", Pamela laughed and then everyone joined in.

The four women sat down and started to eat, dinner conversation flowed easily, while they were specialist in their respective fields, both Pamela and Harley were interested in many things. Harley was even interested in chess; she had recently taken it up and she and Lena got stuck on that subject for a majority of dinner. Sam and Pam talked about Ruby and Pam was more than eager to talk about children, Sam even showed her pictures. When she reached the one of Kara and Ruby, Sam sighed and showed it to Pam.

"Does she know?"

"Hmm?", Sam sighed quizzically.

"Does she know how you feel?"

"No, she is coming off a really bad breakup, and she's is not in the best of places right now. I'm just trying to be a good friend."

"Sam, honey, I've learned a bit watching my Harley, don't wait, honey, it will eat you up, and if you wait too long, the moment will never be right."

"Sam is my Pretty Flower giving you romance advice?", Harley asked.

"Yes ma'am, but she is telling me the same things I have heard from everyone today."

"Then you need to follow your heart, Sam.", Harley said.

"Yeah, I think I do.", Sam smiled.

The four women finished up dinner and Sam started to clean up. Lena moved to help, and Sam shook her head, "Go, talk Lena, this is for you."

"You're a good friend Sam, why don't I help you so Lena can get to know Harley better.", Pam said as she came up behind them.

"Thank you, Pam.,"

"Yes, thank you beautiful.", as Harley kissed Pam on the cheek. Sam felt the need to check on Kara from watching such a simple but very intimate moment between the two women.

"Coffee darling?", Pamela asked.

"If you don't mind, the first session is always the worse, and Ms. Luthor is an emotional wreck."

"I'll make you a cup and bring it in when we finish up.", Pamela promised.

"Lena drinks tea is that okay?", Sam piped up.

"Good for relaxing, can you?", Harley asked.

"Of course."

"Thanks, Sam."

Harley headed out to the Living Room; this was going to be interesting.

Lena was sitting on the corner of the couch, twisting her hands. Nervous would be an understatement for how she felt.

Harley sat down on the other end of the couch, "Lena, I know you are nervous, but you need to understand right now, I don't care about your last name and I am not going to judge you, I am here to help, that is all, you have probably been judged by your family and friends and yourself, so I just want you to talk, to understand that you are not alone, that I'm here to help."

Lena took a deep breath, she bit her lip, twiddled her fingers and finally, "Okay."

"Let's get started"

Lena spent the first hour talking about anything but her past, anything but Kara, she and Harley talked about school, she talked about cooking, about medical projects, and anything else she could talk about to avoid talking about the things that were really bothering her. Then it dawned on her, this is what Harley wanted all along, comfort, she was giving Lena the ability to connect, and giving her someone who wouldn't judge her. As soon as she reached that conclusion, Lena started to cry. She was crying for herself, for Kara, for Sam, for her mother and her brother and for anyone who had been hurt because of her family's name. Everything came back to her all at once, even if she had wanted to speak, to talk, she couldn't at this point, she had to let this grief out.

Sam was on the balcony, talking to Pamela, but through it all, she could hear the tears, the grief. Pamela reached over and held her hand. "This woman means a lot to you, doesn't she?", she asked.

"She's been a friend for a long time. She was there for me when I needed her the most."

"And now you are here for her. She is going to need a few days, they always do. Harley and I are going to stay in town for a few weeks, she has a special interest in Lena, I can't explain it, Harley has a gift for helping people who are considered most damaged, and she normally only works with the one or two patients at a time."

"You really love her, don't you?"

"Harley, you can't help but love her. She may be one of the best psychologists in the country, but when we were in college, she was a wreck."

"That Harley." Sam was surprised, "She was a wreck."

"It's her story to tell, but suffice to say, it helped make her who she is today."

"Are you talking about me Pretty Flower?"

"Hey love, is Lena okay?"

"Yes, I gave her the first assignment."

"Ugh, the letters?", Pam asked.

"Yes, the letters, they work, and you know it.", Harley answered.

"You know I don't get enough credit for that part of your therapy.", Pam laughed.

"Pretty Flower, because of those letters, I get you every day for the rest of our lives."

"Love you, Harley."

"Love you to Pamela."

Sam's head was going back and forth, trying to follow the conversation. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, sorry Sam, Pamela, when we were in college, I was in a very bad relationship and she had me write letters to people, to understand my feelings. I was majoring in journalism, but those letters helped me decide on psychology. It is a very good therapy, so I incorporate it into my patients' assignments.", Harley answered.

"That's a really cool idea."

Both Harley and Pam, "Thank you."

Sam couldn't help but laugh. You know you two are so different, "I never would have thought of you as a couple, but you really work."

"We were friends for a long time before I finally decided I couldn't wait any longer.", Pam said.

"Pam found me in college, I was hiding from my boyfriend, Jack Napier. He was such an asshole.", Harley seemed to collapse into her thoughts, and Sam noticed Pam move closer and grasp the woman's hand. After smiling at her wife, Harley continued, "He had gotten arrested and convinced me to come in and tell the cops I did what he did. I got out on bail and he decided to continue using me. I got arrested a second time, this time carrying a bag of drugs that he had put in my bag. Pam came and got me that time, she had to get a loan on her car, she took me home and put me to bed, then the next morning we were walking to class and when we turned a corner, he was making out with some blonde girl."

"It was an accident.", Pamela said. For some reason, Sam didn't believe her.

"Anyway, I went straight to the DA and told them exactly what happened in the first case, they had me give a written account of everything I knew he was involved in and told me to avoid him for the next week."

"During that week, she was with me, and we came back to the dorm from the library late one night and him and some of his friends were waiting for us."

"They hit Pam with a bat, they knocked her out and then they beat me and," she swallowed, "They raped me, and left me beside her. The last thing I remember before I passed out was dialing 911 from her phone."

Sam was in shock, "Harley, my god, I'm so sorry."

Harley nodded, the memory was still harsh, even after so many years. "I didn't wake up for 5 days, and when I finally did, my Pretty Flower was sitting there holding my hand. After that we were inseparable. She was with me when I testified, and we dated throughout the rest of college. We broke up when she graduated because she was headed to Metropolis and I was on my way to Medical School. After that our paths never crossed, but we wrote to each other every week. Then one day, she showed up in my office at Afkham, with a ring and a letter, the very first one I ever wrote to her."

Sam was in tears at this point. "You two are amazing."

"So after I got out of the hospital, Pam suggested writing letters to people, some to people I had hurt, and at least one, to someone who had hurt me.", Harley admitted, "It worked, I felt stronger, better about myself and my relationships, so I incorporated it into my work, especially with abused women."

"Wow", Sam said, "Do you think it will help Lena?"

"Yes, she didn't really talk about anything, in particular, tonight, I just wanted to get to know her, get her to open up, relax with me, she is not used to letting people close, is she?"

"Kara and I are her closest friends." Sam said, "Actually."

"No Sam, stop, this isn't your job, you don't have to explain why you have already shown your willingness to support Lena. What about Kara, the woman I seem to look like? It concerns me a bit that she isn't here."

"Kara sent me, I'm here to represent both of us.", Sam said.

"Ah, Kara is at the center of this then. Don't explain Sam. Lena has to tell her own story, and you seem protective enough to leave things out that may help me help her.", Harley said.

"Damn, Alex said you were good."

"Alex?", Harley asked.

"Sorry, Alexandra Danvers."

"Alexandra Danvers, the same Alexandra that wrote that paper on Alien Psychology, that Alexandra."

"I don't know?"

Harley whipped out her phone, and pulled up the paper, there at the bottom was Alex's picture.

"Uhm yeah."

"And Kara is Kara Danvers, who recently won the Pulitzer Journalism Award for her expose on Lex Luthor.", Harley commented, "And the woman you seem to have a crush on."

"Pam told you." Sam blushed.

"Oh no, you blush every time her name is mentioned, when I mentioned the Pulitzer you puffed up, like a proud wife, and your voice softens when you say her name."

"Sam dropped her head into her hands, "I thought I was hiding it."

"Not very well Sam, not very well at all." Harley laughed, then her phone buzzed. Her relaxed expression instantly tensed.

"Harley?", Pamela asked.

"It's Helena, she's freaking a bit."

"What's wrong?", Pamela asked sharply.

"She's missing us."

"Do I need to go back.", Pamela was panicking.

"No, but call Mari, and ask her to bring Helena here. That way she will be here with us."

"Sam, I'm sorry, we will be a few minutes.", Pam apologized.

"It's okay, do what you need to do, I'm not going anywhere.", then she left the balcony and went to check on Lena, who was asleep in her bedroom. Sam went it, tucked her in and turned off the lights. Then she came back to the living room and texted Alex.

S 'How's Kara and Ruby?'

A 'Kara still zonked, out for at least 24. Ruby and Nia have planned the Justice League as you said.'

S 'Can I call Ruby'

A 'Yeah, I will send her out to the porch.'

S 'Thanks Alex, by the way your famous,'

A 'Huh?'

S 'Dr. Quinzel knows your name from a paper you wrote.'

A 'OMG'

S 'Breath Alex'

A 'Fangirling'

S 'No, really?'

A 'Call your daughter. Love ya Sam'

S 'Love ya too Alex, make sure she is okay through the night.'

A 'Super Ruby is on the job'

At that, Sam called her daughter, and they talked about Kara, Alex, Nia and the costumes she designed. They talked about Nia, who seemed to be older sister material, instead of Aunt. Ruby was talking so fast Sam could barely keep up, but her daughter seemed happier than she had since before they moved to Metropolis. She needed to talk to Lena about a transfer, as soon as possible. Sam got off the phone with Ruby as Harley and Pamela came off the balcony.

"Everything okay?", Sam asked.

"Yes, I'm terribly sorry Sam, we aren't normally interrupted like this, but Helena is a friend of the family."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Yes, we decided to bring her here, for the time being."

"Where are you staying?"

"We are in a hotel on the other side of town."

Sam thought for a moment and then reached for her phone, she dialed.

"Hello, this is Maryanne, may I help you?"

"Hello Maryanne, this is Samantha Arias, from the Metropolis Branch."

"Hello Ms. Arias, how are you today?"

"I'm doing quite well thank you, can you do me a favor please?"

"Of course, Ms. Arias."

"Is one of the two L-Corp condos' in Ms. Luthor's building available for the next", She paused and looked at Pamela and Harley, Pamela mouthed 4 weeks, "4 weeks please, it's a special project for Ms. Luthor."

"Let me check Ms. Arias.", Sam could hear the keyboard clicking away. "Yes ma'am, the window unit, the 3 bedroom is available, would you like me to book you and Ms. Ruby in."

"No Maryanne, thank you, but this is for Dr. Harleen Quinzel, Dr. Pamela Isley and Helena", Sam paused again.

"Wayne", Harley said.

"Helena Wayne.", Sam repeated slightly shocked.  
"All set Ms. Arias, where would you like the keys delivered?"

"Ms. Luthor's condo would be fine."

"Yes ma'am, of course ma'am."

"Maryanne, calm down, I don't bite, and this project is important, so no office gossip."

"Yes ma'am."

Sam got off the phone, and smiled at Harley and Pam.

"That wasn't necessary, we have a nice suite.", Pam said.

"You are helping me out, and I happen to work for one of these most powerful women on the planet, forgive me if I spoil you."

"Thank you, Sam.,", Harley said.

"Thank you.", Pam added.

There was a knock at the door, and Sam answered, taking the keys. She gave them to Harley and Pam, who were gathering their things.

"Are you leaving?"

"We need to go and get our things, and Helena is coming in late tonight."

"Okay, is there anything I need to do for Lena."

"Let her rest, then remind her in the morning, she needs to write her letters."

"Yes ma'am.", then Sam did something she didn't expect, she hugged Harley. "Thank you.", she whispered.

Harley hugged her back, then she and Pam headed out.

Sam was alone for the first time in days. But for once in her life, she didn't want to be, she wanted to be with a certain blonde somebody. She got a text from Ruby.

R 'Going to watch movies with Nia, Aunt Kara still asleep, she looks like sleeping beauty.'

S 'Love you short stuff.'

Ruby's next response was a picture of Kara, asleep. She really did look like sleeping beauty. Sam smiled at the picture.

R 'Love you too Supermom.'

Sam kicked off her shoes, and settled on the couch, turned on the TV and flipped on Netflix, she remembered watching two episodes of Jessica Jones before she fell asleep.

Lena woke up to the sound of her TV and came in to see Sam asleep on the couch, she wrapped her in a blanket and turned off the TV, then went to her study to write the first of five letters.


	9. Letters from Lena, Part 1

Sam woke up around 6 in the morning and sent a quick text off to Alex, checking on Kara, who was still asleep. She also checked on Ruby, reminding her to work on her schoolwork, 'Thank god for homeschool.' Then she knocked on the study door, she saw Lena sitting at her desk, writing and crying.

"Lena, are you okay?"

"Not really, can you read something for me? It's from the assignment Harley gave me last night.", she answered.

"Of course, anything you need."

Lena handed her the first letter she wrote, and Sam went over to the couch, unfolded the stationary and read to herself.

A Letter to my Mother

Dear mom,

I can remember what you looked like, I can see your eyes, and your hair, but I'm sorry to say, I can't remember your voice, I don't remember if you had a pet name for me or not. I wish, I so wish that things had been different between us, that I could have grown up with you. That you had been there the day I graduated from college, I was 19, ready to take on the world. Or the day I met Kara, the little ball of sunshine that is the reason I am having to write these letters. You would have been proud of me I think, now, I'm not so sure, I am ashamed of myself, I hurt someone very dear to me, and part of me blames you, why did you have to leave. How could you do that to me? The family that took me in was father's, of all the people mother, why him, was he good to you. He was good to me when he wasn't drinking, but his family, they were horrible mother. I don't even know where they buried you mother, I can't even visit your grave because the Luthor's never told me where you were. I'm so sorry mother, sorry that I let you down, that I can't seem to get past the feeling of betrayal by everyone I have loved. I love Kara mother, but in my heart, I know after what I did, I can never have her back, I crushed her spirit, and she would never be the same person, all because I couldn't see past those glasses. I hope one day we can become friends, and I hope that she can recover from what I have done to her, mostly I just wish that she can find that sunshine inside herself again. I'm lonely mother, I miss you every day, no one knows that about me, but it will come out now that I have opened myself up to Dr. Harley Quinzel. Yes, I am seeing a therapist, god knows I need one.

I have never done this, write a letter, to anyone, my thoughts are always moving so fast, I don't know how to put them on paper. Even here they are jumbled. I guess when I write the next one, I need to make it a bit more coherent don't I. Kara would laugh so hard, normally she is the one that babbles.

It's hard to write to you because I know you will never read this, but all the same, mother, thank you for, loving me.

With love from your daughter

Lena Kieran Luthor

Sam was in tears when she finished the letter, she folded it up and walked over to Lena, Lena just stood, and she and Sam hugged one another and cried together again. After they calmed down, Sam asked Lena if she needed anything.

"Just some tea and maybe some crullers."

"I'll run out and get some, are you going to be in here all day?"

"Probably, Harley is supposed to come and check on me throughout the day."

"Which reminds me I booked them the L Corp condo here for four weeks. Is that okay?"

"That is why you were such a good CFO Sam, and a better friend, thank you, thank you for coming to me."

Sam knew the tears were healthy, but that didn't make it any easier to hear the pain in Lena's voice. She hugged her friend again, and Lena release more tears.

Then calmed down, and held Sam at arm's length, "Time for the next one."

Sam nodded and headed out the door, I'll be back shortly, I'm going to take the car.

Lena nodded, as she powered up her computer to write her next letter.

She entered the room and set Lena's tea and crullers down and was about to leave when Lena gripped her hand and whispered thank you.

She paused to smile at her friend and noticed the letter on the screen. She saw who the letter was addressed to, and the first line, then quickly turned away, this wasn't her business.

A Letter to Lillian

Hello Mother,

You are a bitch. I hate you for everything you ever did or said to me throughout my time with you. When I took over L Corp, I wanted so badly to do good in this world. So often though, I was trying so hard to overcome the Luthor name, I lost sight of that goal. All the love my mother gave me in the first four years of my life, you destroyed, until I became a heartless bitch. You taught me I was the only person in this world I could count on. You didn't prepare me for anything. You criticized every friend I ever had, till I stopped making friends. You supported Lex in all his ventures, but nothing I could do was right. All those damn inventions that you thought your wonderful son made, they were MINE! Do you understand, they were mine? He took them from me and ran to you, and you took him at his word. You never gave me a chance, never loved me and always belittled me. Like I said at the beginning, you are a Bitch.

I hope you watch the news every day and see the good, MY company is doing in this world, because that's what L Corp is, it's mine. I know you are suffering from Lex's death, and I have to say, it felt horrible to kill my brother, but it had to be done, for the sake of the world. That's right, I killed him,

Now keep that thought in your head, as you realize, I wiped his name off the company, and the Earth, people still fear that name, but one day Lillian, they will see the good that has come from that same name.

I will be at every parole hearing, and I will do everything I can to keep the cancer that is Lillian Luthor from ever spreading throughout the world ever again.

Sincerely,

Lena Luthor, CEO  
L-Corp

Lena came out of her study at lunchtime, so she and Sam, who had been working on a few things for L Corp and checking Ruby's schoolwork, looked up. "Hey, stranger."

"Hello, were there any leftovers from last night?"

"Yeah, you want some lunch?"

"Oh yes, this is so much harder than anything I have done in a while."

Sam sped into the kitchen and pulled out the leftovers, she made a plate for Lena and herself, warmed them up and zoomed back into the Living Room.

"Eat up."

They finished the last of their food in silence when Sam heard a knock at the door. She got up and opened the door, there stood Harley, with a very shy looking brunette.

"Harley", Sam smiled.

"Hey Sam, this is Helena."

Sam reached out and offered her hand to Helena, who looked ready to bolt. Sam saw her take a deep breath and reached out. Sam noticed scars on her arms, and instantly looked up, seeing the pain and shame in Helena's eyes. Her heart broke a little for this woman she didn't even know.

"Come in, sorry I'm being rude."

Helena pulled back and hid behind Harley's shoulder. Harley reached for her hand and nodded to Helena that everything was okay. Together they stepped into Lena's apartment. Lena was still on the couch, but when she saw Helena, her breath caught, and she just stared. Helena noticed the attention and held her head down, black hair spilling like a curtain, covering her face.

Harley noticed and led her across the room. "How is your assignment going?"

"Two down, this is harder than it sounded."

"Good things are.", Harley said. "Helena this is Lena, Lena I would like you to meet Helena Wayne." The women shook hands, "Helena recently lost her mother, Selina, so Pam and I are helping her through things."

"I'm so sorry to hear that Helena, can I get you anything."

Helena shook her head and looked to Harley, Harley nodded, and Helena retreated from the interaction and headed out onto the balcony.

"She was attacked as well, they killed Selena right in front of her."

"Where's her father?" Sam asked.

"Bruce is having a hard time as well, it was a rival businessman that killed her, Oswald Cobblepot."

"Will she be okay?"

"Yes, but right now, she can't stand to be alone for long periods and Pam and I seem to be the only people she can be with for long periods."

"Does she need anything? Have you eaten?", Sam asked, going into full mom mode.

"No, we are fine, Pam made breakfast, and I just took her for lunch.", Harley answered. "If it's okay with Lena, I would like to check on her progress and I was going to try and get a bit of work done."

"It's fine with me, Sam, I know you are worried about Kara and Ruby, why don't you head back to Midvale and check on them."

"Lena, I made a promise to her."

"And you have kept it, I have Harley here, and I know how to order food. You need a break as well."

Sam looked to Harley, who laughed, "I'm going to be here most of the day, and if it's okay, we will join her for dinner. She is going to be writing letters all afternoon and you need to check on the rest of your family."

"Helena?"

"She needs time to process, and she doesn't get close to people easily, right now we are keeping her circle small."

"Okay, then, I will head out, unless you two need anything else."

"Just the wi-fi password." Harley laughed.

Sam stepped into the guestroom to grab her bag, hugged Lena and Harley and headed out the door, once out she took the route to the Helipad, and launched herself up and towards Midvale.

Helena looked up in awe as a figure flew by.

Midvale, about 30 minutes later.

Sam had to fly over the house a few times, just to make sure no one was around. She finally landed and was met by Ruby and Alex.

"Mom!", Ruby yelled as she slammed into her mother for a hug.

"Hey baby, what ya doing?", she relished her daughter's hug, they were one of her real joys in life.

"Auntie A was testing me a little bit." She looked at Alex, "Is that okay?"

"No flying without Aunt Kara. That's for both of you."

Even Alex looked chastened. "How was the flight?" she asked.

"I hit some turbulence; do you have any idea how it feels to fall out of the sky."

"Yeah, except there was an airplane and Kara rescued us."

"Sorry, forgot. I hit a patch and felt like a fell 10,000 feet. How does she do it?"

"She told me once that she can actually hear the wind change, Brainy said the cape helps too."

"I so don't want a cape."

Alex and Ruby just laughed. Sam stuck out her tongue and headed inside. Alura, Kelly, and Eliza were sitting at the bar having coffee and talking.

"Hey Sam, you just get back?", Kelly asked.

"Yeah, I was talking to Alex and Ruby. Where's Nia?"

"Her, J'onn and Brainy headed back to the city, mission, and this one they kind of needed the whole team.", Kelly answered.

"And Alex didn't go?"

"Nope, she didn't want Kara to wake up and her not be here." Sam noticed Eliza and Alura smiling.

"What?"

"You do realize you have had this entire conversation with Kelly, and you have only looked away from Kara twice.", Eliza laughed.

Sam closed her eyes, defeated and walked over to pour herself a cup of coffee. "Samantha, we all agree that you will be good for her.", Alura said taking her hand.

"Will Kara think so?" Sam asked.

"The only way to find out is to tell her."

Sam set her coffee down and walked over to Kara, looking at her as she slept, so relaxed, no fear, just peaceful. It was a picture that Sam wanted to see a lot more of. She sat down on the edge of the couch and leaned down to whisper into Kara ear, "I love you, Kara, I want to be here for you." She knew Kara was asleep, but her shoulders felt a little lighter. Then she leaned in and was about to kiss Kara on the cheek when suddenly Kara rolled over and their lips met. Sam tried to pull away, but Kara pulled her in, Sam's eyes were wide, she didn't want Kara to wake up like this, she wouldn't know what to think, but another part of her brain relaxed into the kiss, as Kara pulled her closer. Then the kiss ended, and Kara rolled over and without waking up, murmured, "That was nice."

Sam stood up, to see a shocked expression on everyone's face, including Alex and Ruby's. Sam had a big goofy grin on her face, but it fell when she noticed Ruby,

"Mom, you and Aunt Kara?"

"Ruby, she's asleep, I don't think she knew we were kissing."

"You knew, mom, you knew. And now you have that big dorky-looking grin that you get when you look at my baby pictures. You like Aunt Kara; you like like Aunt Kara."

"Ruby, shhhh."

"Oh my god, mom. This is so freaking cool."

Ruby whipped out her phone and started texting.

"Ruby, what are you doing?"

"Texting Nia of course, she has to know what is going on."

"No, Ruby, no"

"Too late", then she zoomed out the door to continue the conversation with Nia.

"Don't worry Sam, they will have your wedding planned by this afternoon. Are you okay?"

"She kissed me, I don't know if she knows, but I do, and it was amazing.", then it dawned on Sam who else was in the room, "Oh god, Alura and Eliza, I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it Samantha, I'm just going to go outside and help my future granddaughter plan your nuptials."

Eliza's coffee made a lovely mess as it exited her nose while she was laughing.

"Oh god.", was all Sam could say.

Kara woke up about an hour later and was suddenly surrounded by her family. No one would say a word about the kiss, but everyone noticed that Sam never left her side. Kara apologized to her mother again.

"Kara, my daughter I am at fault here, not you. You defended your family, as it should be, I should have spoken to you first."

"Thank you, mother. Are you staying?"

"For a few more days."

"You will return?"

"For you my child, I will."

Kara visibly relaxed and hugged her mother. She made it a point to touch everyone, either a hug or holding their hand. She was making sure her world was still with her, but her eyes never left Sam for more than a few minutes. Something had changed between them, and she wasn't sure what it was, but it felt, it felt really good,

"I thought you weren't coming back till tomorrow?", Kara asked Sam.

Sam looked at Kara, "Dr. Quinzel has her working on an assignment, said she would be busy throughout the day, and she was going to be close by."

"So, we get you a day early."

"Yep, seems that way."

"Good", Kara smiled.

Alex walked in with a frown on her face at that moment.

"Alex, what's wrong?", Eliza asked.

"Lucy is coming tomorrow."

"Okay? Why is this a bad thing?", Kelly asked.

"So is Lois."


	10. A Short Interlude

"Why are they coming on the same day?", Alex asked herself for the 1000th time.

"Because we didn't plan this, any of this, those two have to behave, Kara is not in any condition to deal with their constant bickering.", Kelly answered, she knew about the famous Lane arguments.

Kara was noticeably freaking out from all the stress in the house, and for the first time since she arrived, Sam was just as tense. The kiss was weighing her mind. She needed to talk to someone, anyone. "Can you too just stop?!", Sam yelled. She saw Kara cringe and looked over at her, smiled and then when back at Kelly and Alex. "Please stop, please stop stressing her out, stop stressing me out, just stop."

Alex and Kelly stopped. Their mouths closed, they both looked at Kara, then at Sam then at each other. "Thank you.", Sam said taking a deep breath.

"Ruby, please take Kara outside. Go down to the lake and punch trees or something, no flying."

"Okay mom.", Ruby took Kara outside.

"You two, the house is clean, so just stop. I get that Lois and Lucy dislike each other, but if the situation gets stressful, it's not good for Kara.", Sam said.

"And since the kiss.", Alex piped up.

"Not now Alex, please."

It was the please that got Alex and Kelly attention. They looked at each other, and Alex decided to let the professional do her job. Alex headed upstairs to help her mom straighten up.

"Okay Sam, let's talk."

"About what!", she snapped.

"The kiss, the fact that you are in love with Kara, the fact that no matter what anyone else in this house thinks, she still loves Lena. The fact that you don't want to be a rebound."

Sam hung her head, "How did I let this happen?"

"How did you let what happen?"

"This, me, falling for Kara, being in love with her while she's is, was, whatever with Lena. And Lena, she wants to push me right into Kara's arms. Every time Kara gets out of a relationship, she falls right back into another one, she is never alone, I know she can take care of herself, but does she.?"

"Whoa Sam, relax hon, deep breath."

"Sorry, all this is too much, Kara needs friends right now, not another relationship that will break in 6 months or a year. I want something permanent; I don't want Kara to regret being with me, thinking it was because she was like this." Sam vented.

"Then don't tell her how you feel. Take your own feelings into account, be her friend, well, be an even better friend, but, work, live your life, with and without Kara.", Kelly said. "If it's meant to be Sam, then it will happen."

"What about Ruby?"

"Ruby still has Aunt Kara, and she might be old enough to understand, that you two need time. Kara is going to lean on you, are you strong enough to support her Sam." Kelly asked.

"I will do my very best.", Sam smiled.

Alex, Alura and Eliza came down the stairs. Sam had to look twice since Alura wasn't wearing her Kryptonian clothing. "We heard you upstairs, and we all agree we have been pushing, it's not good for you Sam, and we are all sorry.", Alex said. Sam gathered Alex into a hug, and for just a minute, she let herself be the one that didn't have to be so strong.

"Are you still wanting to move out here from Metropolis Sam?", Alex asked.

"Alex, I want to be closer to all of you, the fact that I am in love with Kara, and that I hope one day she will feel the same about me, that's part of why I want to be closer. Kara needs a support system, but right now she needs a friend more than I need her to be in love with me."

Eliza and Alura nodded, and Kelly, Alex and Sam hugged. Then Sam headed to the back door, she just stood and watched the two most important women in her life.


	11. Lucy

It was a beautiful day, Kara had slept through the night, curled up with Ruby on the couch. Nia had returned late yesterday afternoon, after Sam's argument with everyone, and Ruby and Sam sat her down and talked about Kara, and how Sam feels about her, and that it is too soon. Nia was a little disappointed, but she understood. She decided to take Ruby into town, for ice cream and a movie. They got back, and soon thereafter, she crashed in the recliner and Sam took the guest room. Alex and Kelly once again ended up in Alex's old room and Alura and Eliza sat up talking until they both crashed on Eliza's bed.

Lucy would be arriving around 11:30, in her car. Lois and Jon were coming via train from National City around 2:00, and Alex and Kelly were going to pick them up in Eliza's SUV. Kara was going to try the shower this morning, so she was upstairs facing the bathroom door, staring at it like it was going to swallow her whole. They were all at a loss, they couldn't force her in, but she wanted to try, Kelly was thinking of all the treatment options, but nothing covered placing a superpowered alien into a room with a small window and convincing her to close herself in the shower. Ruby and Nia were downstairs when Sam heard Ruby whisper, "Mom used to bribe me with food when I was little cause I didn't like water in my face." Sam smiled, might be worth a shot. She walked over to a very stressed Kara, and whispered, "If you go in there and take a shower, I will fly to National City and get potstickers from Noonan's."

"You promise?", Kara asked.

"Cross my heart." Sam smiled.

"You're on.", She took a deep breath, looked at the bathroom and walked in smiling. "Just don't close the door all the way."

Sam closed the door, leaving it open just a bit. "How did you do that?", Kelly asked.

"It was food, wasn't Sam?", Eliza asked.

"Potstickers, but I had to try something, we can thank Ruby, she was talking to Nia downstairs, and I overheard.", she smiled. "But it was worth it, to get her to take on that fear."

"I'm beginning to think you should be the shrink and not me.", Kelly smiled.

"Nope, you are very good at your job Ms. Olsen, I would not want to do what you do every day.", Sam winked at the doctor.

"Now which one of us is going to stay up here and wait for her?", Alex asked.

"I will, she is my little girl.", Alura answered. "I'll call if I need help."

"Does anyone know if Lucy likes Noonan's?" Sam asked, "Because that's what we are having for lunch."

"It was mandatory for game night.", Alex laughed.

"Can you call in the order while I," Sam closed her eyes and took a breath, "fly up to get lunch."

"Yeah, but Sam, you know you don't have to do stuff like this for her, we all know your powers make you uncomfortable.", Alex said.

"Did you see her smile, that was a little bit of the old Kara, even without my feelings for her, I would fly to the moon and back to see that smile.", Sam said as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. Alex reaches over and hugged her shoulder.

Everyone headed downstairs, except Alura, who stayed upstairs to help Kara. It was just a typical morning, waiting for the storm to start. The Lane girls had never gotten along, and no one knew why, except for Lucy and Lois, and they weren't telling. Sam heard the shower stop, and waited, holding her breath and concentrating on Kara's heartbeat, it was a little fast, but not too bad, she was calm, she wasn't freaking out, that had to be good.

"You did good, Sam, but it's almost 11, you better head out.", Kelly smiled.

"Damn, give me a 15-minute head start, then call it in Alex."

"Let me give you some money Sam," Eliza said.

"No, this is on me, you have been feeding all of us, I'm buying lunch, besides, Ruby eats enough for 4.", she laughed.

"Okay, but tonight we are cooking on the grill, or Alex is.", Eliza said.

"What, why me?"

"Because it's the only place you can cook honey.", Kelly laughed.

Alex stuck her tongue out, but laughed anyway, it was true, she was hopeless in the kitchen.

Sam went out of the back door and took off headed towards National City. In her rush though, she forgot to tell Kara she was leaving.

Kara finished getting dressed while everyone was downstairs, she decided on a cornflower blue dress and stuck with being barefooted, she had to remind her mother that underwear was a thing here on Earth. Although being a Kryptonian had its perks, at least she didn't have to wear a bra. After finishing up, she headed downstairs, she was learning to focus her powers again, especially her hearing and there was one heartbeat missing from downstairs.

"Where's Sam?", Kara panicked.

"Kara?", Alex questioned, "What's wrong?"

"Sam's gone, where is she, why did she leave, she made a promise.", Kara was freaking out.

"Kara honey, calm down, she just went to get lunch."

"But she didn't tell me she was leaving.", Kara sobbed.

Ruby, who had been sitting on the porch, heard everything, and rushed to Kara's side, "Aunt Kara, focus, listen."

"To what?", She cried.

"Take a deep breath, listen, mom is already on her way back, she's close by, you can hear her heartbeat."

Kara took a breath, then another deeper breath, and listened, focusing her hearing, drowning out everything else, she could hear that familiar heartbeat, Sam's heartbeat, getting stronger and closer. She opened her eyes, still clouded with tears, "I'm sorry everyone."

"Kara, this is normal recovery, you took on one fear this morning, this isn't going to be easy for you, you're feeling overwhelmed by one fear, and another took over.", Kelly answered, "It's going to be okay."

Kara turned into her mother's arms and cried softly for just a minute, before looking up, then she and Ruby at the same time, "She's here."

"That's going to get old quick.", Alex joked.

Ruby stuck her tongue out at Alex and Kara made her way to the back door, she saw Sam land, a little harder than she would have, but it takes practice, and a good teacher, she'd make a flier out of Sam yet. Sam noticed Kara watching her, "You okay?", she asked.

"Mild panic attack, I freaked when I didn't hear your heartbeat.", Kara smiled.

"Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you I was leaving, are you okay now?"

"Did you bring my potstickers?", Kara asked.

Sam held up one of the bags. "Right here, double order, the Danvers special apparently."

"Then I'll be okay.", she smiled, and Sam's heart skipped a beat. 'This is not going to be easy', Sam thought to herself.

Eliza and Alex started to set the table, while Sam pulled out enough food to feed a small army or one teenage Kryptonian hybrid. One of the containers, the one on the bottom was getting a little cold. "This one needs the microwave, Eliza.", Sam said.

Kara, who was eating one potsticker while grabbing another, "No, not the microwave.", she said.

"What honey?" Eliza looked at her.

Kara swallowed, "No microwave. Ruby, come here."

"Yes, Aunt Kara, what ya need?", Ruby answered.

"We are going to practice your heat vision.", Kara answered.

"Really?", Ruby asked, bouncing up and down.

"Yes, we are going out on the porch, Sam can you bring the container, please?", Kara asked.

"Yeah, sure, okay.", Sam answered, slightly worried.

"Alex, can you bring a cast iron pan please?", Kara asked.

"Okay?", Alex was a bit confused.

Everyone followed Kara and Ruby out to the porch. "Put the pan on the table, Alex, and Sam put the food on the pan." They both followed Kara's direction, putting the food down. "Okay now everyone take a step back." Everyone gathered behind Kara, giving Ruby plenty of space. "Okay Ruby, you ready?"

Ruby was noticeably nervous, "Yes."

"Ruby, you will do fine, relax, think about what you want to do, then concentrate okay." Kara sounded like a teacher, voice calm, eyes never leaving Ruby's, she was all in.

Ruby was looking at the plate, concentrating, she got a short burst of heat vision, hit the pan, but missed the food. She blushed, embarrassed.

"Ruby, that's fine, you got it to work. Just focus a bit, like this.", Kara looked at the dish and focused her vision on the food, then let out a light burst of her heat vision. Steam rose from the food, and Ruby smiled. "Now try again."

Ruby focused on the food, just like Kara, thought about what she wanted, and let loose a 20-second burst, the food steamed, and Kara smiled, "Okay Ruby, one more burst, just like that one." The teenaged girl tried one more time but got a little heavy with the heat, the dish turned red. "Ruby, stop baby, slow down."

Ruby stopped, "Did I burn it?", she asked dejectedly.

Alex grabbed a bite, she burnt her tongue, but the food wasn't burnt, just too hot, "Nope, still taste fantastic. You did it, girl."

Kara walked over to Ruby, hugging her tight, "Great job. Concise control is the key to a lot of what we can do. We will keep practicing, but you did good."

Sam swept Ruby into a hug, "That was amazing sweetheart."

"Mom that is so cool. Thank you, Aunt Kara, that was really cool.", Ruby was beaming.

Kara gave her another hug, she liked this feeling, sharing what she knew, she needed this almost as much as Ruby did.

The adults then moved into the house, except for Nia, who looked at Ruby and smiled, "That was so cool."

"I know," Ruby answered, as she and Nia started dancing around on the porch.

They had just gotten the food dished up, when Kara, who was sitting at the bar, sipping a little water, said, "Lucy's here."

"Right on time, as usual."

Kara listened as Lucy open and close her door. She was looking forward to seeing Lucy, even before the events with Lena, she had not seen much of her friend. They texted occasionally, but their schedules and Kara's time with Lena had cut into her time for her friends. She shivered a bit and her heart rate rose as Lena entered her thoughts.

"Kara?", Sam asked.

"Sorry Sam, thinking about Lucy and about how much I was ignoring everything and everyone while trying to fix things with Lena.", Kara answered somberly. "I didn't really realize how much I put my life on hold. I let her consume my thoughts, I didn't even come to see you and Ruby, so much so, that you felt like you couldn't tell me about you and Ruby's powers." She started to cry, and Sam reached over to take her hand. Kelly was listening, trying to understand exactly what was going on in Kara's head.

"Kara, sweetheart it's okay.", Sam said.

"No Sam, I don't really think it is, I worry so much about being abandoned, about being alone, but I ended up isolating myself, because of her.", she was still crying, but instead of hugging, Sam just wanted her to talk. "I was trapped in that cell in the Fortress long before she actually trapped me. I was in love with her, but I lied about that too, I never told her Sam, I never said those words."

Now Kelly understood why Kara was so eager to blame herself for Lena's actions, Lena had her so convinced it was a betrayal, that Kara's inability to tell Lena that she loved her, was in Kara's mind another betrayal of Lena's trust.

"If I had told her Sam, would she still have hurt me?" Kara cried, leaning into Sam for a hug.

"I don't know sweetheart, I really don't.", Sam consoled her friend, knowing now that her decision not to tell Kara how she really felt was the right one.

Kelly now understood her friend a little better, she had an idea of where to start with Kara's therapy now.

Alex, Eliza, and Alura had met Lucy at the door, explaining that Kara was having a bit of a panic attack. Lucy, understood completely, she had known Kara for a long time, and if her friend needed a moment, Lucy would go out of her way to help her.

Sam got Kara calmed down, and while Kara washed her face at the kitchen sink, Sam stepped to the front of the house to meet the famous Lucy Lane. Alex introduced them, and they shook hands. Lucy asked about Kara, asked if she could do anything to help and promised that she would behave when it came to Lena Luthor. "I won't arrest her unless she gives me a good reason.", she said, "Like jaywalking.", she whispered sarcastically.

Sam heard her comment and snorted through her nose. Lucy looked, not sure, but wondering if Sam heard her and if so how?

As Lucy entered the kitchen, Kara stood and walked over to her. Lucy opened her arms and Kara reached out for the hug. Kara relaxed, and Lucy smiled. "Hey, Kara. It's so good to see you."

Kelly was standing beside Sam and reached down, putting her hand on Sam's arm, "Sam."

Sam stared intently at Lucy's smile, and growled."

"Sam, you're growling."

"What? Oh. Sorry." Sam stuttered, Kara wasn't hers, she had to remember that.

"It's okay, but you might want to calm down just a bit girl.", Kelly laughed.

Sam blushed and closed her eyes to get herself under control. Then noticed something on Lucy's finger that caused her to relax even more. Kelly felt Sam relax and looked, she noticed it too, Lucy was wearing a diamond on a very important finger.

Lucy and Kara broke apart, and Sam saw nothing but care and concern for Kara in her eyes, 'This is a woman I can trust not to hurt my Kara', Sam thought. Then she shook her head, not mine, just friends. 'For now', her thoughts betrayed her.

"Who's hungry?", Eliza asked, "The foods going to get cold."

Ruby came charging in, Nia right behind her. "We are!", they both said at the same time.

Everyone settled around the table, Kara found her spot, beside Sam, and went to sit when she noticed Lucy's finger.

"Lucy?" Kara asked.

"Yes.", she smiled.

"You need to tell us something?" Kara was bouncing in her seat.

"Oh, you mean this." She said, lifting her hand so everyone could see the ring. "Dick and I got engaged this weekend, and I was going to text everyone and call, but I wanted this group to be the first to know since you are all family."

They all gathered around Lucy, including Kara, then Lucy asked the big question, "Kara, I want you to be my maid of honor, please?"

Kara was floored, "I would love to, but what if I mess something up? I wouldn't want you mad at me."

Lucy took a deep breath, wishing at that particular moment, that she could shoot Lena Luthor, "Kara, we have a year, he just took an executive officer position in Coronado and will need a year to settle in. So, you have time to plan honey, to your heart's content." Then she smiled, "We want an outdoor wedding. So maybe something in this area would be good."

"So, you are going to be living in National City for at least a year?" Kara asked.

"Yes, all of you are stuck with me."

They all agreed that being stuck with Lucy was not a bad thing. They spent the rest of lunch getting caught up and Sam, Kelly, and Alex were watching Kara's plate. Her power usage was making her eat more, and Alex was relieved when she went for seconds.

Lunch ended and Sam and Alura volunteered to clean the kitchen. Everyone moved to the living room, when Alex dropped the next bombshell.

"Lucy, one bit of news."

"Sure Alex, what's going on?"

"Lois is coming today, in a few hours."

"Ah shit."


	12. Surprise

Kelly and Alex left to get Lois around 1:15, giving them enough time to get the Train Station ahead of arrival. Lucy watches Kara, looking out the window as her sister drove away. "Kara hon, are you okay."

"What, oh, I'm sorry Lucy, Kelly said this is all normal, my reaction to people leaving, but my whole body tenses up, my heart says Alex would never leave me, but my head, I just can't control the thoughts.", Kara smiled sadly.

"You'll get through this honey, I'm sure of it, you are absolutely the strongest person I know. And I don't mean physically Kara, your spirit and your commitment to what you do, that makes you Supergirl, not your powers."

Sam came in at that moment. Lucy closed her mouth quickly. "Lucy it's okay, Ruby and I both know her identity. Kara and I have been friends for a few years now. She told us because she felt safe with us knowing."

"Oh okay, so I don't have to walk on eggshells and worry about slipping up.", Lucy said, visibly relaxing.

"Can I tell you two something?" Kara asked. "I haven't talked to Alex yet."

"What is it, sweetheart?", Sam started to sit down.

"I think I am going to have to step away from being Supergirl for a little while.", Kara said, sadly.

"Kara honey, there's no shame in stepping away, you have been doing this for over 5 years, your body and spirit have been hit hard in that time, if you want to step down, I will take care of everything at the DEO for you."

"Yeah sweetheart, if you think you need time to heal, then take it."

"I just don't want people to get upset with me.", Kara said, crying just a bit, she was pulling her knees to her chest, putting up her shields. Sam noticed and immediately moved to the couch. Lucy noticed Kara relaxed immediately, let her shields down, she didn't know Sam very well, but she loved the effect Sam had on Kara.

"Kara, no one is going to get upset with you, at least no one in your family. The world is not so black and white, some people are going to get upset no matter what, but Kara, you have to do what is right for you, you have to get better.", Lucy said. "My fiancée is a Navy Seal, when he got back from his last tour of duty, he spent 30 days away from the Navy, wouldn't watch the news, read anything about any hot spot he had visited, he just chilled, he needed the downtime to heal, his mind and his body."

"He was all better?", Kara asked.

"No, not at all, he sees a therapist twice a week, if he drinks, he has a beer with the guys, once a week, he works out like it's a religion, he will sleep on the floor if he has nightmares and he cannot sleep during a thunderstorm. He copes because he has friends who have seen the same horrors he has honey, you don't have that, the only person who has seen some of the horrors that you have is Clark and regardless of how he acts or what he says, he is scarred, just as you must be."

Sam looked at the woman, respect in her eyes for what she had just told Kara. Supergirl was the most powerful part of the DEO, yet this woman, the leader of that organization just basically permitted Kara to step down. "What?", Lucy asked, noticing that Sam was staring at her.

"Thank you for treating her like a person, instead of a weapon.", Sam said.

"Kara befriended me at a low moment, I would do anything for her.", Lucy smiled.

"Their here.", Kara said, tilting her head to one side.

"Kara honey, what is it?", Lucy asked.

"I hear another heartbeat, but Jon's is so fast, I can't make out anyone for sure except for Alex."

"Aren't they talking?"

"No, and Alex has the radio playing, its messing with my focus."

"Just relax Kara, is Alex's heartrate normal?"

Kara squeezed her eyes close, concentrating on her sister, "She's a little excited, like on Christmas morning when she gets me something and I can't figure out what it is."

"Then relax, Kara, it's called a surprise for a reason.", Sam smiled.

Kara heard the vehicle stop, and stood up, Lucy and Sam got up also and together they headed towards the front door.

Lois entered the house through the front door, ahead of Kelly and Alex, with baby Jon in his seat. Lucy stayed in the living room, giving everyone their chances to say hello before she entered the room.

Kara saw the baby and just beamed, her smile so wide that everyone else couldn't help but stop and look at how much the room brightened. "Lois, oh Rao, he is so beautiful. He favors his mother; I don't see much of Clark in him. Can I hold him, please?"

"Of course, you can Kara, thank you, let me just get him out of his seat.", she wasn't even a little upset that Kara failed to even say hello, she was resigned to the fact that she was now Jon's mother. She settled him on the table, undid his harness and lifted him gently from his seat. Kara came over and Lois handed Jon over. Kara took him into her arms, cradling his head and making sure he was completely supported. Everyone gathered around her to ooh and ahh over the baby, while Sam made her way to the mother.

"Hi, I'm Samantha Arias, a friend of the family." She held out her hand.

Lois took the offered hand, "Lois Lane Kent, mother of Jon.", she said, smiling, the tired kind of smile that said she was happy to be a mom, but tired all the same.

Then the last person in the group walked through the door, Sam noticed, but no one else did. There he stood, Kara's cousin, Clark Kent. He smiled and walked over, standing right behind Kara, but she was concentrating so hard on Jon she still hadn't noticed. Sam came over, "Kara can I hold Jon a minute, there is someone here to visit, and I think you may be a little surprised."

Kara looked up and she picked up the heartbeat, she smiled, and gently handed Jon to Sam. Then she turned and threw herself into her cousin's arms. "Oh Rao, it's so good to see you.", then the tears started, and she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Kara, hey, it's okay, it's going to be okay.", he whispered into her ear.

"Oh Kal, it was horrible, I was alone, it was like being trapped in the Phantom Zone all over again.", Kara cried. Lois came over as well, standing behind Kara, rubbing her back. Jon started to get fussy, all the stress in the room, Lois was about to get him, when Lucy approached.

"Can I hold him, Lois?", Lucy asked, quietly waiting to be rebuked.

Lois looked at her sister, then at Kara, then Jon and nodded, "Of course you can Lucy, you deserve a chance to know your nephew."

Lucy looked shocked, "Really? You're not mad that I'm here."

Once again Lois looked at Kara. Then she looked at Lucy and realized, whatever it was that had made her so angry with Lucy in the past, just didn't matter as much as family. "I wasn't overly thrilled when Alex told me that you were here, but you know what, there are more important things in this world than petty arguments between sisters. Like healing broken relationships and relying on family. Plus, you can tell me about the man who put that ring on my sister's finger."

Lucy smiled and took Jon from Sam and cooed at him, then crinkled her nose, "Now I know why he was fussy."

"You want me to change him."

"No, I got this, but you might want to stick around, make sure I do it right.", and for once Lois decided to make it through a new adventure with her sister without criticism.

Kara looked up at Clark, "I'm so sorry Kal, I must have let you down, I can't believe I did this to everyone. I let everyone down so much."

"Kara, we have all been where you are, even me, I should have been here for you when this started, and I have should have been more supportive of your friendship with Lena.", as he said her name, he felt Kara tense up.

Sam came over to save the day, "It's the name Mr. Kent, every time she hears it. It's nothing you did."

"You're Samantha Arias?"

"Yes, sir."

"You don't look like a supervillain.", Clark said.

"Thank you, I think.", Sam answered a bit confused.

"No, sorry, sometimes I don't think before I speak. Kara has told me about you, about your past, somehow I thought you would be a bit more, imposing."

"Nope sorry, I've only got her beat by an inch, and my powers are just now coming in," Sam said as Kara turned and nestled into her arms. Sam wrapped her arms around Kara's shoulders.

Clark watched the interaction and mouthed, "Does she know?", to Sam, who shook her head no and pleaded with her eyes to keep it quiet.

Clark nodded, then whispered to Kara, "You want to go for a flight together a little later?"

"Yes please.", Kara answered.

Clark walked over to Lois and Lucy, "You two aren't throwing barbed insults at one another?"

Both women turned and looked at him, Lois smiled and said, "No not today dear, maybe later."

Lucy laughed, probably the first time she had laughed around Lois since they were children. Lois turned and looked at her, "You know what Lucy, I've missed that. Maybe, maybe we should try the whole sister thing out. I know you have this family, but seeing Kara, hearing what she went through, and having Jon, makes me realize that family is more important than I thought."

"You know if I wasn't holding my nephew right now, I would probably hug you.", Lucy smiled.

"He's probably getting hungry, you want to help me feed him?", Lois asked. Lucy nodded and the two women headed to the back of the house, to the Living room.

Kara released Sam, "I'm going to step outside and check on Ruby and Nia.", she said.

Sam smiled and nodded, Kara was feeling trapped, she could see the look in her eyes, the room was too crowded. Kara zipped to the door and stepped out onto the porch. Alex came over to Sam, "Is she okay?"

"Panicking a bit, the shower this morning and then all these people in one room, she needed a breather.", Sam answered.

"So, Superman?", Alex asked.

"Yeah, me and Kara could take him.", Sam laughed.

"Oh, Sam I have no doubt, Kara is stronger and faster than him, and you two would make a hell of a team.", Alex laughed.

"I don't think he approves of me.", Sam thought out loud.

"Does it matter? Alex asked.

"Nope, I have my family." She said as she pulled Alex into a hug.

Clark smiled at the interaction; he had his doubts about Samantha, but he wasn't going to voice them. He had to learn to trust Kara's instincts. From what J'onn had told him, she was beating herself up over Lena, doubting herself and her opinions about people. She trusted Samantha and Clark would watch, but he wasn't going to interfere with Kara's choices and make her doubt herself even more. Besides from how protective Sam seemed, he had nothing to worry about. Not to mention she was right, her and Kara combined would more than likely wipe the floor with him.

Kara was standing in the doorway watching Nia and Ruby talk on the porch, she was so happy that Ruby had made a friend, especially Nia. The young superheroine had been a pain at first, but she had grown on Kara, and Kara had been so caught up in Lena, she had let her friend down. Her bad thoughts must have shown on her face, because Nia looked up at her, with a questioning look. Kara shook her head and smiled. Nia smiled back and returned her attention to whatever app Ruby was showing her.

Clark came up behind Kara, "Hey cousin you want to take off for a few minutes."

"Yeah, that would be nice. Let me tell Sam and Alex.", Kara said, she turned to walk into the house and saw Sam and Alex in the kitchen. Sam was about to take the last potsticker out of the bag, saw Kara and stopped. "Go ahead Sam, Clark and I are going for a quick flight, I just wanted you and Alex to know."

"Don't push too hard Kara.", Alex said.

"I won't, promise," Kara answered.

She stepped back outside and she and Clark went down the stairs, Clark squatted and shot up, Kara laughed and with barely any effort lifted off, catching him quickly.

"How do you do that?" he asked when they reached about 1000 feet.

"Do what?"

"Take off with zero effort."

"Practice, I had to sneak to use my powers when I was younger, so me and Alex worked on floating. I can sleep float too."

"That is pretty cool. I never could master that. So, you know small talk isn't my specialty."

"I know."

"Are you okay, I mean physically, obviously you still aren't feeling like yourself."

"My powers are still on the fritz. I get worn out fast, Alex says it's the long-term effect of the Kryptonite on my system. They are coming back slowly." She noticed Clark tense. "I know I screwed up Clark, I let her use me, and it's my fault, I never should have betrayed her trust the way I did."

"Kara, this wasn't your fault, this is on Lex, he knows how to manipulate people and I probably didn't help, instead of trusting you, I looked at Le, sorry, her, as a villain because I kept seeing Lex, not her."

"But it was my choice to keep the secret. I fell in love with Lena, but I was scared she would stop seeing Kara if I told her."

"Kara, it was your secret to tell, and you told her, she couldn't let go of the betrayal, she took it too far, and you paid the price. The only mistake I can see is that you didn't tell her how you feel."

"You think I should have told her I love her."

"I don't think it would have mattered honestly."

"Why not?"

"Kara, Lex and I were friends for a long time. When he started to go down his path, I tried to pull him back, it's almost like he wanted to fall. That family is broken. I hope for your sake, that she can heal, that maybe, you can be friends again, but if you can't Kara, you can't hold yourself responsible for her choices. She did things to you that you will spend the rest of your life overcoming. What we do Kara, the choices we make every day, leave scars that we sometimes never overcome. I lost Lex, he was my friend, and I lost him, and I spend every day trying to make that up to him. I didn't go to Argo city for Lois or Jon, Kara. I went for myself. Lois knew I needed something, I was getting brutal, the constant battle was wearing on me and I have been doing this for over 20 years. In your five you have seen and done more than I ever could, and it never broke you, you are still the embodiment of hope, I just hope you can find it again."

Kara floated towards her cousin and he wrapped her arms around her, "Thanks, Clark."

Clark pulled out of the hug, and holding his cousin at arm's length, "Kara, you are my hero."

Then both the Kryptonians started to cry. Once they calmed down, they took a short loop over the mountains. Then headed back to the house. Once they landed, Kara pulled Alex, Lucy, and Sam to the side.

"Alex, I talked to Sam and Lucy earlier. I need to step back, I need to not be Supergirl for a little while?", Kara said.

"Okay.", Alex responded.

"Just okay?", Kara was surprised.

"Kara, you are my sister, sometimes I have been controlling, pushy, bitchy and even manipulative, but you are my sister first and foremost, and I will do whatever I can to help you get better."

Kara was overwhelmed, it had been so long since anyone had looked at her and seen anything but the symbol on her chest, that she was unprepared for the support she was receiving from her family.

"I will take care of the government side of things, but there is going to have to be a press conference Kara, Supergirl can't just disappear.", Lucy said.

"Yeah sweetheart, you are going to have to let the public know, you can't let them think you just disappeared.", Sam, said, turning into businesswoman for just a moment.

"Okay.", Kara said taking a deep breath. "Monday then."

"Okay, I will set it up. And you know we can't be on the stage with you." Sam said.

"Alex?", Kara started panicking."

"I can be there, Lucy can be there, but the rest of your friends, they have to stay in the background, no connections.", Alex answered, sensing her sister's rising panic.

"Kara, I will be in the crowd, okay, I can use my L Corp connections to set up the press conference, we can do it in the Park okay.

"Okay, okay. I can do this."

Kelly came over, at that moment to check on her patient. "What's going on?"

"I'm going to step away from the public for a bit, so I can get better.", Kara said weakly.

"Are you sure?", Kelly asked.

"Yes, I'm not at 100% physically anyway, and mentally and emotionally, I'm spent, not just from," she swallowed, "Lena, but from 5 years of this."

"Kara you don't have to explain this to me. I'm your doctor, so I will support you no matter what."

"Lois, can you come here?", Lucy called.

"Yeah, what's going on?", Lois asked.

"Kara's stepping away from Supergirl for a bit, while she heals," Lucy said.

"Okay, what does she need?", Lois asked.

"An interview, my side of the story.", Kara answered.

"Kara are you sure?"

"Not really, but I know what I have to do."

"Okay, when?"

"Can we do it Saturday and you publish by Sunday?", Kara asked.

"Of course, I can, anything you need, but we should publish Monday, that way you can do a press conference, and the story on the same day," Lois said.

Everyone except Sam and Alex walked away, "Alex, Sam.", she took a breath, "Lena has to know before the press conference, please."

"I'll let her know Kara.", Sam said.

"Alex?", Kara pleaded.

"I agree Kara, she needs to know, I know you care for her, that's why I'm supporting you on this."

"Thank you, Alex, so much."

"Your welcome Kara. How about tonight, you and me, we get a sister's night?", Alex pleaded.

Kara nodded, "I'd like that."


	13. Letters from Lena, Part 2

The rest of the afternoon passed in peace, Lois and Kara discussed her choice to step away, and Lois promised to phrase her questions in a way as to not mention Lena. The interview would be published on the morning of the press conference.

Sam spent the afternoon setting up the press conference, she felt really good to be doing something because she felt like she was smothering Kara, and her feelings for the blonde wanted to bubble to the surface, she wanted to just scream out how she felt. She was holding her head in her hands when Eliza walked into the upstairs study. "Sam, are you okay?"

"Oh, hmm, yes ma'am, sorry, lost in my thoughts."

"Kara?"

"Yes ma'am, I feel like I'm smothering her with attention. Part of that is my feelings, another part is like instinct, if Ruby was in this situation, I don't know that I could be as calm as you."

"Sam, can I tell you a secret?", Eliza asked. Curious, Sam nodded. "I'm not calm, I'm madder than hell, I hate that she is like this. I just want to go to National City and throttle the hell out of Lena Luthor, but I can't. It wouldn't be good for Kara. So, for her sake, I just hide it, like you have to hide your feelings. I wish I could talk to that woman, understand why she did this to my daughter. Why Sam, how could she, she is your friend, why did she do this?", at that Eliza lost it, she started to cry.

Sam was out of her chair in an instant. "I don't know Eliza.", she whispered, "I just don't know." Then she just let Eliza cry, knowing that this strong woman needed a chance to get her feelings out.

Eliza got herself back under control, "Can we not tell Alex and Kara about this?"

"Yes ma'am, but if you need to talk, please, don't hesitate to find me."

"I won't Sam, and I know this is hard on you, but when Kara realizes how much she needs you in her life, it will all have been worth it."

"I can't argue that point."

"I'll let you get back to work."

"Thank you, Eliza, for letting me in."

Eliza gave Sam a quick hug and then headed downstairs. Sam turned and looked out the window, then picked up her cell phone, it was 4:30, she had used L Corp to set up the interview, now she needed to make a quick phone call to Lena and let her know what was going on.

"Hello Sam, is everything okay, is Kara okay?"

Sam closed her eyes, hearing Lena's feelings for Kara made her feel guilty. "Kara's fine, she is hanging out with Lucy and Lois.", Sam answered, leaving out the fact that Superman was in the house. "How are you doing? Has therapy started?"

"I finished the first assignment, Harley gave me today off, to recover I guess, it was harder than I thought. And I do have a business to run. You didn't call for an update, though did you? What's wrong Sam?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just, I need to talk to you, is tonight okay, after dinner?"

"How about before, around 6:30, Harley, Pam and Helena are coming around 7:15, that way you could fly in without them seeing you."

"Okay, 6:30, your apartment. I'll see you in a little bit."

"Bye Sam.", Lena hung up, she couldn't help the feeling of dread that swept over her.

Sam sat at the desk and verified everything for the press conference one more time, she was saw caught up in the details, she didn't notice the delivery truck that pulled up.

Ruby knocked on the door, and Sam looked up, "Hey baby, what's up?"

"There's a guy downstairs with a package for you from National City. He needs you to sign for it."

"Okay?", Sam was curious, no one knew she was here, except Lena. "Maybe it's something about Aunt Lena's work."

At Lena's name, Ruby turned away, "You need to sign mom." Then she headed downstairs.

"Uh oh", Sam got up to head downstairs, 'Ruby is upset with Lena, the whole Kara thing was weighing on her daughter, not to mention the kiss. Shit.', Sam thought.

She got downstairs, and the delivery guy was in the hall, "Sorry it took so long, you have something for me to sign?"

The driver held out his handheld, "Yes ma'am, are you Samantha Aria? Can you sign here?"

Sam signed her name and was handed four envelopes and a packet of papers that sounded like they jingled.

She looked at the envelopes first, Lena's handwriting, one for her, Eliza, Alex, and Kara. Her first assignment. Sam wasn't looking forward to this at all, but at least Kara had a large support group, including Clark here.

"What was that?", Alex asked as Sam showed the delivery guy out.

"Letters, from Lena." Sam answered, "One for you, Eliza, me and Kara."

"This isn't going to be good is it?", Alex asked.

"I don't know Alex, it's the first part of her therapy with Dr. Quinzel.", Sam answered she didn't' have a clue as to what the letters held.

"Well give it here, let's see what it says?" Alex said as if she didn't care at all.

Sam gave Alex her letter, then went to find Eliza, who was on the porch with Alura, "Eliza, this is bad timing, but this is from Lena.", she said, handing the envelope to her. "It's part of her therapy. I don't know what it says, but I have one for Kara too."

"We should read ours first, we probably need to be there when Kara reads hers," Eliza said, not looking forward to this at all.

"Have you seen Ruby?"

"She went for a walk with Nia, she's upset with Lena, she overheard about the press conference.", Alura answered.

"Shit", Sam hung her head. Then she spoke, "Ruby, can you come to the house please?"

She heard Ruby's response on the wind, "Yes ma'am"

Alex had headed upstairs to her and Kara's spot, stopping to get Kelly, letting her know what was going on. "You want me to come with you?"

Alex nodded, already lost in her thoughts.

They stepped out on the roof, and for just a moment, Alex was a teenager with a dorky little alien sister and no thoughts of the future except what was going to happen at school the next day, then she blinked, and looked at the letter in her hand and opened it.

A Letter to Alex

Alexandra,

I know you will never forgive me for what I did to Kara, and I don't blame you. If I was in your place and snuffed out the sun, I wouldn't be able to forgive either. It was never my intention to hurt her like I did, and I will regret it for the rest of my life. We were never friends but at least when we worked together, we were a good team and I will miss that about us. Please don't ever stop protecting her Alex, she is such a gentle soul, one of the few I have ever had the privilege to know and love. Never forget who she is either, not like you could, not I like I did, she needs to always be Kara, you and Sam, Eliza and Kelly and Ruby, all of you together, you need to help her find her sunshine again Alex, please.

Sorry, I had to pause for a moment, Dr. Quinzel said this would happen. She said this therapy is like spilling your emotions onto the paper, I guess she is right because my tears certainly won't stop. She also said that I needed to be better about letting those emotions show. I want you to know Alex, that in my way, I did care about you, and I do love Kara. And before you freak out, I don't think I deserve her, not her love, but if possible, and with perhaps with your blessings, maybe one day, I hope she and I could be friends again. I know you don't want to hear that right now, but I have to be honest, with you and myself. I fucked up, I know that now, and I will never forget the fear in her eyes when she looked at me. I did that, I snuffed out the sun.

I'm so sorry Alexandra.

All my regrets,

Lena Luthor

Alex wanted to so bad at that moment to just scream, at this moment she hated Lena Luthor, but not as bad as it seemed Lena hated herself. She read the letter a second time, telling herself she had to be a better sister and stop controlling Kara's life, Kara didn't need her blessing to make friends and Alex realized that she was more responsible for Lena's feelings of betrayal than Kara had ever been. She turned to Kelly and fell into her arms and wept.

Downstairs on the porch, Eliza was opening her letter, a feeling of dread in her stomach.

A Letter to Eliza

Dear Eliza,

You have raised two incredible daughters. I am sure you are proud of both of them.

I know Alex is probably so angry at me, and all of you are suffering for that, for that I am sorry. She is passionate about what she does, about protecting everyone, especially Kara. Having met you, I understand where that passion and protectiveness come from, and I am glad to have met you at least few times, you will be the model of how I raise my children, should I ever have any.

I know you are angry with me about Kara, and I don't blame you. There is no excuse for what I did, and the biggest problem I see in myself, is that I was so blinded by anger, I don't know that I would have gone back to her. I know Kara probably won't tell you this, but her last words to me before I walked away from her, was to not leave her alone. I didn't know what she meant by it then, and now that I do, those words will haunt me forever. I know it's not enough, but I am so sorry, that I hurt her, that I hurt Kara. I'm sure that you would not believe that, but I am, she was my world, and when my brother told me who she was, I felt betrayed, and I stopped seeing Kara, and could only see Supergirl, I did exactly what she is so scared of, I forgot all about Kara. I know you only ever see Kara, with or without the cape, and that is one of the biggest regrets of my life.

I know Kara, she will get better, she is too strong not too, I just hope she finds that ability to be who she was before I broke her. The world deserves the Kara you raised, not this jaded person that I created.

One note, and I'm sure you've noticed, Sam is in love with Kara, I hope you can let her into your heart and home, she is a wonderful woman and would be perfect for Kara. I know my opinion doesn't mean much, but I just had to say it, because I love Sam.

If you ever need anything, I know you won't, just know, I will do anything.

Once again, I am sorry,  
Sincerely

Lena Luthor

She balled the letter up into her fist and leaned into the hug Alura offered. Their beautiful daughter was in pain because of Lena, but Eliza couldn't bring herself to hate Lena. Lena had been used by her brother, turned into a weapon, her feelings used against her.

Ruby showed up with Nia, "What's going on mom?"

"A letter from Aunt Lena?"

"So, what, she hurt Aunt Kara?"

"Ruby?"

"Well it's true mom, Aunt Kara is going to stop being Supergirl because of Lena. Do you understand, she's going to stop? You, Eliza, Auntie A, everyone here, you are all hurting because of Lena. A letter doesn't fix this mom, it just doesn't, I wanted to fly with Aunt Kara, I wanted to be a hero like she is. It isn't fair, what Lena did was wrong, and you all want to pity her, Auntie A is the only one with any sense, she is just too nice to say anything around Aunt Kara. You can't even tell Aunt Kara how you feel because of how she is, so don't expect me to care what Lena has to say." Ruby was in tears, and Sam pulled her close. Her little girl was hurting, and they had all been so caught up in Kara, she had missed it.

Nia was standing there and hadn't meant to witness what was said, and she turned to hide her tears. She was about to walk off when Sam caught her and pulled her into a shared hug with Ruby. "Thank you, Nia, for being here for Ruby."

Nia nodded and smiled, then the smile turned to tears as the three of them hugged.

Ruby cried for a few minutes then headed in to wash her face. Sam looked to Nia, "Thank you again, Nia."

"I always wanted a little sister, thanks for letting me hang out with her."

"Anytime Nia."

Nia headed in and Sam opened her letter.

A letter to Sam

Dear Sam,

You have put up with me through good and bad. So, I don't have much to tell you except,

Sam, I know we are all pushing, probably overcompensating because of Kara's current situation, tell her when you are ready, don't let us push you into something you are not ready for. Don't let us push you into something she isn't ready for.

The rest will be explained in the packet of papers that came with this letter.

Your friend and biggest fan,

Lena

Sam looked at the letter, then opened the packet in her hand, she pulled out the papers, and right on top was an official letter from L Corp, stating that she had been promoted to Executive VP of Contracting, she was now responsible for all outside contracting for L Corp, which meant that she would be allowed to work from anywhere in the country, as long as she came to corporate headquarters twice a month for meetings with the R and D and the CEO. She smiled, Lena had taken care of things, making it easier for her and Ruby to move back. The second pack of papers made moving back even easier, it was the paperwork for the house across the street and the keys. But with Ruby upset and Kara's letter in her hand, she wanted to be happy, but she was dreading what was coming next.

She entered the house, walking slowly to the living room to find Kara surrounded by Nia and Ruby, while the rest of their family was looking to her. Kara lifted her eyes and then her hand and Sam reluctantly handed her the letter. Kara looked at the paper like it would hurt her, then took it, took a deep breath and opened the letter.

A Letter to Kara

Kara,

This is the hardest thing I have ever done, other than turning my back on you at the Fortress. What I have done to you, my Sunshine, is horrible, and I know you are scared and feel helpless and I am so sorry Kara. I forgot who you are, that you are not Supergirl, you are Kara, and I should have remembered that I always thought you were to perfect to be human, but you ended up being more human than me.

You have to get better darling, you just have to, the world needs Kara as she was, please never forget that, yes you have all those powers, but underneath all of that you represent hope in a way that no other heroes can.

I know you remember that first day you came to visit, with your cousin, you know you took my breath away, not because you are beautiful, but because you listened to me, you took me seriously, even if no one else did. You believed in me and you gave me the hope to believe in myself. You chipped away at my armor and once you were in, you were all in, you gave me love and comfort, you taught me how to love, even if I never said it, I love you. I don't deserve you Kara, and I know you will argue, but you need someone who can accept you as Kara and Supergirl. Whoever it is, they have to make sure they only ever see Kara, Supergirl is an idea, she is a symbol for the whole world, that they are protected and cared for, but Kara, you are more than that, you are friendship and game night, you are a person that would welcome a little girl from a horrible home into your family, and accept her without ever once trying to change her.

I hope as you move forward in your life, you can remember how good we were to one another, I hope that my bad judgment, my mistakes will not ruin our chance of maybe one day restoring at least our friendship. As much as I regret losing your love, I will miss your friendship, even more, you were good for me, more than you know.

I have a little secret for you, although Sam may have spilled it by now. The house across the road from your moms now belongs to Sam and Ruby. You are probably screaming with joy right now, so calm down a bit. Sam has also been given a job that will allow her to work from home, once again calm down, you need Ruby and Sam in your life, and they need you, especially Ruby, she needs you to teach her and nurture her. Sam needs you as well, let her lean on you, your experience, your abilities, she needs to learn to control them, and she needs the same choice you had, whether to become a superhero or not.

This letter was supposed to be about letting go of raw emotion, so I could start healing, but I keep seeing that fear in your eyes Kara when you saw me at the fortress, and that image will haunt me forever. I am so sorry that I did that to you because no matter what, I never meant to hurt you like that, ever.

Sorry had to take a break, Dr. Quinzel, said to let my tears flow onto the paper, so you would know I speak from the heart. But you know that, anyway, don't you? You always did. No matter what I said or did, you always knew my heart.

I understand a little better why you didn't tell me, what you, Sam and Alex all said makes more sense now, why you were so scared that you would lose me. Instead of losing me, I drove you away. You didn't deserve that, and I don't deserve you, Kara. I still wish to be part of your life, maybe someday, we could try to be friends again.

Kara, I missed the signs of how you felt about me, Alex told me the day that I freed you from the fortress that you loved me. It frightened me, because deep down, I know I love you as well. I'm not sure if you need to hear this from me, or if I need to say it for myself, but I do love you Kara, but our relationship would never be the same for us at this point, it really would not be good for either one of us. I think that is why I was so sure you would betray me; I knew how I felt without really knowing, and to defend myself from it, from you, I retreated into my normal boxes and pushed you away.

It has been amazing getting to know you these past four years, and I know everyone is always saying they wouldn't change a thing, but they are always so wrong, I would try to change a little for you, to let you in, and to say those three little words that scared me so much. I will always have a place in my heart for you, my dearest friend, even if I failed you in the end, but please Kara, try to remember the good, don't forget the bad, but always keep in mind how good we were together.

I'm sure by now you are crying, Alex probably hates me even more, but lean on your family and get well my darling Kara.

With love always,

Lena.

Lena had known her better than she thought, Kara was a wreck, she sat on the couch crushing the letter in her hands, crying, screaming with pain. Three little words had kept them apart because neither had ever dared to say them. Her family was speechless, they all knew there was nothing they could say at this moment that would help. Sam wanted to go to Kara, but knew in her heart, that they were both too raw at this moment, so she watched as her Kara cried into Eliza and Alura's shoulders, and when she couldn't take it anymore, she stepped out on the porch to calm herself and make peace with her decision about Kara. She was joined by Alex and Kelly a little bit later.

"Are you okay Sam?", Alex asked softly.

"No, Kara's heartbroken, I'm not okay and right now there is nothing I can do about it because I love her too much to tell her that right now. I know it's the right thing to do, but this just hurts. Ruby's mad at Lena, and that letter and her witnessing the kiss and knowing how I feel isn't going to help. Lena transferred me to a work from home position and bought me the damn house across the road, but now, it will feel worse than the distance between Kara and me when I was in Metropolis. And I have to go and take care of telling Lena about the press conference tonight, which is probably going to hurt her."

"Sam, I'm so sorry."

"Everyone stop saying that please. I've got to go, tell Ruby and Kara, tell them I will be back later tonight, please." Then she stepped into the yard and took off, headed towards National City.

Kelly and Alex could only watch as their friend flew off.


	14. Poisoned

Before Sam even realized it, she was halfway to National City. She was so worried about Kara, that she almost turned around to head back to Midvale, but Kara had her family with her, they would make sure she was okay until Sam got back to Eliza's. As she slowed down, she began to notice what Kara told her about flying, how peaceful it was, how everything was quieter, although she hated this part of herself, because of Reign, she had to admit that the ability to fly was amazing.

As she flew over the city, she noticed a mugging a few blocks from Lena's condo. She thought to herself 'Just ignore it', but then, she thought 'What would Kara do?' She flew quickly down and landed in the shadows. Using her heat vision like Kara taught Ruby, she melted the rubber on the soles of the mugger's shoes, sticking him to the sidewalk. Then she told the victim to call the police, and she flew off. 'That felt good', she thought to herself.

Five minutes later she landed on Lena's balcony. Lena answered the door, still in her work clothes, but looking a little run down. Sam's motherly instincts kicked in, instantly. "Are you eating? Are you getting any sleep?", she bombarded her boss with questions.

"I'm eating, Harley made me set the alarm on my phone to remind me when to eat, since I'm depressed, and it can make you forget to take care of yourself. As far as sleeping, no, I'm not sleeping. I keep seeing her eyes in my dreams, "Lena answered, sighing to herself. She wasn't over her anger, but she was missing her friend.

"I know how you feel on that one, Lena. I see her every day and can't get those eyes out of my head.", Sam said absentmindedly. One of the true joys of her life, after Ruby was her visits with Kara, even if they just ate and watched TV. Why had it taken her so long to realize her feelings for the wonderful blonde and would she have acted on them knowing how Kara felt about Lena. She didn't come here to daydream over Kara, she needed to prepare Lena for Monday.

"So, Sam, what's going on, what did you need to talk to me about?", Lena asked, pulling Sam away from her thoughts.

"So, you might want to sit down Lena, I don't think you are going to take this news well.", Sam spoke gently.

"Sam?", Lena asked as she took a seat.

Sam took a deep breath, "Lena, Kara had come to a decision." She watched as Lena bit her lip twisted her hands nervously. "She wants to stop, she is going to step away, she needs a break from being Supergirl. She is giving a press conference on Monday, and there will be an interview with Lois in the paper that morning, explaining her reasoning."

Tears fell from Lena's eyes, she had truly ruined Kara and the CEO in her was also thinking of the effect this would have on L Corp. "Oh god, I did this? She's going to stop being Supergirl because of what I did?"

Sam knelt in front of Lena. She was too good of a friend not to be honest with Lena. "Lena, what happened was just the catalyst to this decision, Kara has been to hell and back over the last five years, her body has been beaten down, but emotionally, she needs a break, what happened in the Fortress, it brought everything to the surface, but Kara has needed a break for a while now."

"You're just being polite Sam.", Lena snapped through her tears.

"It would be insulting of me to lie to you, Lena.", Sam said hugging her friend, "Kara has requested that Lois's interview leave you out of this."

Lena started to cry harder, "Of course she would." She cried into Sam's arms for a bit longer, then finally she finished, she thought about something Sam had said. "Sam? You said something about Kara's powers not working right."

"What, oh yeah, they are sporadic, and just a short flight, maybe 15 minutes, wears her out."

"Is she getting enough sun, is she eating.", Lena asked, going into science mode.

"Yes and no, all the curtains in the house are open and she is outside as much as possible. She isn't eating, at least not Kara levels. Ruby is out eating her."

"What happens when she uses her powers?"

"She naps, almost like a recharge, she gets headaches from her heat vision and x-ray vision, her appetite increases for a bit, then settles down," Sam answered, confused by the questions.

"Has Alex performed a full physical?"

"The basics only, she doesn't have the equipment in Midvale to perform a full physical. Why Lena? What's going on in that head of yours?", Sam asked, suddenly concerned.

"Kara needs bloodwork done, it sounds like anemia, but it could be blood poisoning, oh God, the effect of the Kryptonite on her system."

"Lena?"

"Kara was subjected to low levels of Kryptonite at the Fortress, and I would be willing to assume that she wasn't eating. That combined with the lack of sunlight, oh my god, Kara isn't going to get better, she more than likely has blood poisoning, the Kryptonite has attached itself to her blood at a cellular level and it will get worse."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"There is, but you're not going to be happy with me."

"Lena?"

"Hold on.", Lena took out her cell phone, dialing Harley. "Hello Dr. Quinzel, can we reschedule, please, I have an urgent matter I need to attend to at L Corp?" Sam didn't listen to the other side of the conversation. "Thank you, Harley, I promise tomorrow, this is something I have to do, tonight." She hung up the phone and looked at Sam. "We need to go to L Corp, now."

Lena moved towards the door, but Sam stopped her and looked towards the balcony. "I know you hate flying Lena, but it is quicker."

"Fine.", Lena growled

Sam held onto to Lena and shot into the sky. They touched down less than 3 minutes later. "You know, you need to work on your landings, Kara's aren't quite as jarring."

Sam looked at Lena, jealousy rising that Lena had flown with Kara and Sam only had the one trip. "She's had more practice and you, you're my first passenger."

"Sorry Sam.", Lena had the good sense to look admonished.

They took the elevator down to Lena's lab, and then through what had to be the largest vault door Sam had ever seen, but it was what was behind the door that made her blood boil.

On the table was a woman's body covered in a white sheet, Sam looked closely, it looked like Alura. Then she noticed it, a white streak in the woman's hair, the same one Kara had described every time she talked about her. "Oh my god, Lena, where did you find this woman, why is she here?" Sam growled, her protective nature over Kara coming completely to the surface, she was walking towards Lena, her eyes glowing.

"Sam?", Lena backed away, frightened.

"How long has she been here? What did you do to her?", striding towards Lena

"She hasn't been here long, maybe two months, I found her in one of Lex's labs, in stasis. His notes said that she launched into space in a funeral pod, she was killed using kryptonite, but between Lex's notes and my work to find a cure for Kara's weakness to kryptonite and your blood that I took when you were Reign." Lena was rambling.

"Do you know who this is?", Sam interrupted.

"No, there was no name, just Lex's notes. I don't know who she is, Sam, you're scaring me, please calm down."

Sam finally realized she was standing right in Lena's face. She took a deep breath and took a step back, "I'm sorry Lena. You don't know who that is?"

"No, should I?", Lena questioned shakenly, Sam's power show had frightened her.

"It's Astra.", Sam said, almost in a whisper.

"Who?"

"It's Astra, Kara's Aunt"

Lena stared blankly for a second, then suddenly, she started to tremble, Kara's aunt, she had Kara's aunt as a prisoner. That wasn't technically true, the woman was in stasis, the treatment that Lena had developed worked, the woman was healed, and her body was working properly, but she hadn't woken up. Of course, she hadn't exactly made it a point to expose Astra to sunlight, so she may not even have the strength to wake up.

"Lena, what's wrong?"

"I've become my brother. Kara's going to hate me for this, she's already frightened of me, now, with this, with what I have done, she going to hate me.", Lena was staring blankly ahead, almost like she was in shock. She walked over to a control panel and switched the fluorescent lighting over Astra's bed to a yellow sunlight emitter. Then she turned to Sam, switching from panic to scientist, "The cure works Sam, I've put her under sunlight emitters. I don't know what to expect as far as changes, because your blood carries kryptonite immunities. I also have no idea how much longer she will be under."

"You think this will help Kara?", Sam asked, hopefulness in her voice.

"Yes Sam, I believe it will."

"I've got to tell them, I don't know how I'm going to convince Alex, but I have to tell them you can help her.", Sam was thinking out loud.

Lena's phone picked that moment to ring, she checked the caller ID, looking at Sam, she said, "Ruby?"

Sam's eyes got wide, what was Ruby doing. She didn't know what to say.

"Hello, Ruby? Is ever…."

"Lena! Is momma with you? I need to talk to her, there's been an accident. I need momma Lena, please."

Sam could hear the panic in Ruby's voice, and she only called her momma when things were really bad. Lena handed her the phone, "Ruby, are you okay? Baby what's wrong?", Sam was panicked.

"Momma, it's not me, it's Aunt Kara, she got hurt, we were flying, and I fell in the lake and she came after me, she hit a rock underwater momma, she's bleeding and she's not healing. She's hurt momma and it's my fault.", Ruby was in tears.

"Ruby it's not your fault, Kara is sick baby, she pushed too hard. Where's Auntie A?"

"They are all right here, except Superman, he can't get close, momma, Aunt Kara's blood, it's glowing green."

"Let me talk to Alex, Ruby."

"Okay momma, I'm so sorry."

"Ruby, it's not your fault baby, I don't blame you and neither would Kara. Give me Alex baby."

"Okay," she could hear Ruby talking to Alex, "Momma wants you, Auntie A."

"Sam, she's hurt bad. I can't get the bleeding to stop, her blood is glowing, she has Kryptonite blood poisoning, it's why she's had so much trouble with her powers. She's not healing Sam, I don't know what to do, I need to get her to the DEO."

"Alex listen to me." Sam sounded so much calmer than she was at this moment, "You need to bring her to L Corp."

"No, I can fix her at the DEO."

"Lena has a cure now Alex."

"No"

"Alex, pull your head out of your ass, this is for Kara. Lena has a cure, and it works."

"How do you know?"

"I just do, get her here, now."

"DEO helicopter is en route now; we will be in National City in the next 25 minutes."

"Lena, they can be here in 25 minutes."

"I'll have everything ready.", Lena answered, as she called security and informed them that a helicopter would be arriving. Then she started getting everything ready for Kara's arrival.

Back in Midvale, Alex was a wreck, where was the damn helicopter. Lois, Lucy, Eliza, and Kelly were all there, but all Alex could see was Kara, lying there, Ruby holding her hand, Nia right behind her. Alex was holding pressure on the wound, trying to staunch the bleeding, "Lucy?"

"It's coming Alex.", Lucy whispered. Tears were running down her cheeks, she had never seen Kara this bad.

"Call J'onn when we get into the air, let him know we are headed to L Corp. Brainy too. Please?", Alex was crying, she couldn't help it, her whole world was here in the yard and the center of her universe was hurt, and for the first time since she could remember Kara coming to Earth, there was nothing she could do to fix this.

"They are close.", the group heard Alura call from the porch. She hated this, Kara's blood was painful to her and Kal, they couldn't get close enough to help. Her daughter, so much like her sister, willing to put herself in danger to save others. Kara was a beacon of hope for Earth and Alura, she had to survive this.

The helicopter landed and they got Kara strapped in, but only three of them could go, Alex of course, then Eliza, then Ruby begged to go, "Please, it's my fault, I have to go, she might need me?"

All the adults stepped back as the youngest member of their family climbed in, still gripping Kara's hand. It only dawned on them after the helicopter had taken off that not once had Ruby complained of any pain from the Kryptonite infected blood.

Lucy was immediately on the phone to J'onn and Brainy, who dropped what they were doing to head to L Corp.

Sam was standing on the Helipad waiting, she was pacing, lost in her thoughts. One, in particular, stuck in her head…

'Kara had come to visit her and Ruby after stopping a particularly nasty villain in Chicago. It was a Friday, so Kara could stay for the night. She landed on the balcony and of course Ruby was up in a flash, opening the door. Kara scooped Ruby into a hug, always so happy to see her, Ruby was ecstatic, a Friday visit meant movies and popcorn and lessons in Kryptonian and Kryptonian history. Sam loved their interaction, craved it, Kara was never Supergirl around them, she turned it off as soon as the balcony door opened. Kara had admitted to her, that even though she was in love with Lena, they never really had any peace when they were together, they always had something going on. They ordered pizza and potstickers and the girls settled down to watch Netflix and the next thing Sam remembered was waking up, with Kara's cape wrapped around her. Kara was asleep on the balcony, absorbing the morning sun when Sam opened the door, still wrapped in the cape. She'd had a nightmare and Kara had wrapped her in the cape and whispered to her until she fell back to sleep.'

Sam was still pacing, smiling at the memory, praying to Rao that her friend would survive this, knowing she had to have faith in Lena's abilities. She heard the Helicopter approaching and sent a quick text on a spare phone to Lena, letting her know. Then she heard J'onn land behind her carrying Brainy.

"Samantha.", J'onn said.

"They are on the way in. Lena is downstairs getting things ready."

"Are you okay Ms. Arias?", Brainy asked.

"No, not really Brainy, stress and worry."

"Ms. Luthor will not allow any more harm to befall Kara, will she?", Brainy asked a little fear in his normally stoic voice.

Sam turned to the young alien, pulled him into a hug and answered his question, "Not today she won't."

Brainy relaxed, knowing in his heart that this woman would allow nothing else to befall his hero.

As the helicopter landed Sam rushed and opened the door, she lifted Kara and moved her to the gurney, placing her gently on it and allowing the medics to move her to the elevator, then she scooped Ruby into her arms. "I'm so sorry momma, we were just flying, and I lost my concentration and Aunt Kara was trying to save me."

"Shh, baby, shh, it's okay, this wasn't your fault, it wasn't, we didn't know Aunt Kara was this sick," Sam answered, crying at her daughter's pain. "Go on, hold Aunt Kara's hand in the elevator, if she wakes up, she will be scared, she'll need her Ruby okay."

Sniffling, Ruby answered, "Okay momma."

Alex and Eliza were out next, "Are you sure about this Sam.", Alex asked, tears in her eyes from anger and worry.

"Yes, Alex I'm sorry it's come to this, but Lena's shown me it will work.", Sam answered, hugging Alex. She pulled in Eliza as well, who was in shock from Kara's condition. They all entered the elevator with Kara, it was crowded, but no one was going to leave Kara's side right now.

10 minutes later, they were settled into one of the rooms in Lena's lab. John was standing with his back to the door, watching Lena's every movement. Brainy was studying the information Lena had given him about the cure, watching her out the corner of his eye. Eliza was at the head of the bed, running her hand through Kara's hair, her eyes never leaving Lena. Ruby was holding Kara's hand, not looking at Lena, instead focusing on her Aunt Kara. Alex was against the wall, standing stiffly, arms crossed over her chest, watching everything that Lena did. Sam was watching Kara, not paying any attention to Lena. As Lena got closer, Sam noticed that Kara's eyes were starting to flutter, her nose twitching. 'Oh damn, Lena's perfume.' Sam thought to herself.

As the scent of Lena's perfume reached her nose, Kara's eyes shot open, fear showing, she was panting, "Lena", she said, her breath coming in short gasp, "Don't hurt me, please, I'll leave, I'll go,"

Lena stopped, looking, trying to figure which way to go. Sam stepped in blocking Lena from her view, "Kara, it's okay, Lena's not going to hurt you, go back to sleep sweetheart."

"But Lena, Sam I'm scared.", Kara was going to hyperventilate at this point.

"I know Kara, but I swear she's not going to hurt you okay, go back to sleep, okay, let us help you."

"Okay, Sam, will everyone stay with me, please.", Kara asked, trying to relax the fear making her voice quake.

"We are not going anywhere.", Sam answered.

"Promise", was all Kara could get out as pain, blood loss and fear took over and she fainted, eyes rolling back and her body and face relaxing.

"We promise Kara.", they all answered.

Ruby then turned and looked to Lena, her eyes glowing, "You better not hurt her."

Lena stopped for a moment, as Ruby got herself under control, and turned back to Kara.

Lena took Kara's arm and wrapped a band around it, she found a good vein and injected the vaccine into Kara's bloodstream. Then she crossed the room to the light switch and turned on the Sunlight emitters. "We will know something in about an hour." She said, then quickly left the room, finally breathing.


	15. Alex, Astra and Ruby

Alex pushed herself off the wall and followed Lena out the door. The CEO was so preoccupied she didn't even hear Alex approach until felt herself being pushed towards the wall.

"Are you satisfied now?", Alex snapped at Lena.

"Alex?", Lena asked, looking down, checking to see if Alex was carrying a gun.

"Are you satisfied, or did she have to die, again? Is that what you wanted?", Alex was so angry, stressed and upset that tears were flowing freely down her face.

"Alex no! I never wanted this to happen, I was,", Lena stopped, then continued, "I am angry, but you have to believe I never wanted this to happen to her."

"Did you see her, the bleeding wouldn't stop, she is scared of you. The person that broke her is the only person that could save her. Sounds like something your brother would do.", Alex snapped.

That last comment made Lena's hackles rise, "I am not my brother." She snapped as she pushed Alex away and drew back to throw a punch.

"Could have fooled me.", Alex said through her tears. Lena struck, but years of training took over and Alex easily blocked the sloppy punch Lena threw, striking back with a blow to Lena's stomach that bent the woman in half.

Lena was bent over trying to catch her breath, Alex standing over her. "You locked her away, poisoned her with Kryptonite, then conveniently had a cure for it."

"No, not like that.", Lena choked out.

"You took Kara from us, from me. I am her sister and you took her again.", Alex threw another punch. Connecting with Lena's stomach again. She pushed Lena hard, down the hallway.

Lena could hear the pain in Alex's voice, this wasn't just about Kara.

"You took her away from her friends." Alex pushed again, but Lena wasn't defending herself anymore, 'Maybe I deserve this.', she thought.

"You took her away from me, again. I couldn't protect her from you and I couldn't save her, I had to bring her here, to you.", Alex's tears were falling hard now, she wanted Lena to fight back, she wanted a reason to hurt this woman like Lena hurt Kara. "Fight back, throw a punch, do something Luthor."

"No Alex.", Lena stood as straight as possible, hoping Alex wouldn't continue this beating.

Alex fell to her knees, "You took away my sister, and then you saved her. Why Lena? Why did you do all this?"

Ruby came out of the room, saw Alex on her knees crying and looked at Lena. Lena saw anger in Ruby's eyes and was about to say something when Ruby blurred to Alex's side, engulfing her in a hug. "Aunt Lena!", Ruby snapped out, "Leave her alone!"

Lena was shocked, Ruby thought she had hurt Alex, she turned to run down the hall, and as the door slid open, there stood Astra.

"Where is my niece?", Astra asked looking down at Lena.

Alex's head whipped around, how? Astra was dead, she'd been the cause.

Sam wasn't paying attention to anything except Kara's heartbeat, but she heard Ruby yell at Lena and looked up. She entered the hallway at the same time as Astra was asking about Kara.

Astra looked up as Sam entered the hallway, "You move like a klutzy Daxamite, who are you woman?"

Sam wasn't sure how to react, nothing Kara had taught her covered how to meet your friend's dead aunt. She took a deep breath, Astra had been a general, a leader, she would respect power, "I am Reign, Kryptonian by birth, protector of the House of El as named by Kara Zor-El. It is my honor to meet you, General."

Astra was taken aback by such a formal greeting, "What house Reign? And why are you not speaking Kryptonian?"

Sam closed her eyes, trying to remember Clark's name, "Like Kal-El, I was sent here as an infant, Kara Zor-El has been teaching me, but I regret that I am a slow learner. Unfortunately, I do not know my house, General."

Astra steps down the hallway, snarling at Alex, but Ruby stood between them. "Like mother like daughter," Astra says as she smiles down at Ruby.

"Khuhtive kehp vo throniv", Ruby says in Kryptonian. 'My own to protect."

"Honored Warrior", Astra responded, in her native tongue "No disrespect is meant."

"None is taken, General.", Ruby responds in Kryptonian, smiling.

"Is the youngling yours Reign?", Astra asked as she continued to approach Sam.

"She is General, and I would prefer Samantha or Sam, please."

"Very well Samantha, you may call me Astra, now may I ask where my niece is, where is Kara?"

"Through here Astra.", Sam said as she opened the door to Kara's room. "If you will excuse me, I need to see what my youngling is up too right this moment."

In the hallway, Sam looks and sees Lena, holding her stomach, still hurting from Alex's attack as well as shocked at how well Sam just handled a Kryptonian General. She waves the woman closer and notices Ruby tense up. "You three want to tell me what is going on?"

"I attacked Lena, it was unprovoked on her part.", Alex answered, sniffling and rubbing her face.

"Alex, why?", Sam asked.

"Anger at me, stress over Kara, the fact that I happen to have a cure for her.", Lena answered. "I probably deserved this."

"She wasn't even defending herself.", Alex held her head down, totally ashamed of herself.

"Alex, I hate saying this like this, but go in there with Kara.", Sam said.

"I can't"

"Why the hell not?"

"Because of Astra, because I'm the one that killed her.", Alex was holding her head down.

Sam, Lena, and Ruby all stared at Alex. You would have thought she'd grown a second head. She looked up at them, tears in her eyes once again, "She was threatening J'onn and Kara, I did what I had to do."

"I'll take you in Alex. This is a discussion for later.", then to Ruby, "Walk Aunt Lena to the infirmary young lady, you owe her an apology. And you two need to talk."

Ruby looked at her mother, then at Alex, hung her head, "Fine"

Sam looked at Lena and pointed with her eyes for Lena to go. Lena got the hint, she and Ruby needed to talk.

Sam watched Lena and Ruby walk out. Then turned to Alex, "Let's go."

In Kara's Room

Astra entered and J'onn stood up straighter. "Don't worry Martian, while you are protecting my niece, there will be no retribution. But there will not be friendship either." Then she turned back to where her niece was laying. Tears were forming in her eyes as she approached Kara, looking to Eliza for permission to touch her, not wanting to cause any more pain to her precious little one. Eliza nodded, and Astra moved to the other side of her bed, taking Kara's hand in her own, feeling how cold she was. If Eliza was shocked at the appearance of this woman, she didn't show it.

"I'm Eliza Danvers."

"You are her adoptive mother?"

"I am"

"Thank you for taking care of her, I'm Astra."

"You are welcome, Kara has told me much about you.", Eliza stated as calmly as possible. When this was all over, she was going to need therapy.

Astra sat and held her niece's hand, while silent tears ran down her cheeks.

Ruby was leading Lena to the infirmary, remembering the route like It was yesterday when her mom worked here in this building. When Aunt Lena wasn't hurting everyone important to her.

"Ruby, I hate to ask, but please slow down."

Ruby turned and noticed that Lena was crying. "Aunt Lena?"

"It just hurts Ruby. I can't keep up with you at superspeed."

"Sorry." Ruby apologized, "I'm sorry about the hallway also, I thought you, I guess it's kind of silly, but I thought you hurt Auntie A."

Lena was a little offended, but it was highly unlikely she would have gotten in even one good punch on Alex. "I would laugh, but it would probably hurt."

Ruby stopped and looked at Lena, she was paler than normal, her eyes had dark circles under them like her mom's when she stayed up working. "Aunt Lena, are you really okay?" Ruby asked, feeling herself calm down just a little.

"I don't know Ruby, I really don't.", Lena answered, just as they reached the infirmary.

"Sit down Aunt Lena, tell me what you need."

"I need a few ibuprofens and some ice for the bruises on my stomach." Ruby found the ibuprofen, but there were no ice packs. She found a gallon freezer back and was going to fill it with water. "Ruby, add a little rubbing alcohol to it, it won't freeze solid that way, not that it will help us."

"I have a surprise for you.", She added rubbing alcohol till Lena said to stop, then she placed the bag on the countertop and using the same principle that Kara had shown her when using her heat vision. She started to blow on the bag, but she could watch the crystals form, so she kept blowing till the crystals stopped forming. Then she picked it up and grabbed a towel, "How's this?"

Lena was amazed, smiling "It's perfect Ruby, thank you.", then she placed it on her bruised stomach, sighing in relief. "Go ahead and ask Ruby, I know you are upset with me."

"Why are you so mad at Aunt Kara? What did she do?", Ruby asked a bit of anger in her voice.

"Ruby, she lied to me about being Supergirl, I had to find out from someone else. She broke my trust."

"So, she never told you?"

"Well no, she told me at her Pulitzer ceremony."

"Did you ask her? Did she know you knew?"

"No, she just told me. She said it was because she was scared, she would lose me."

"So, Aunt Kara told you she was Supergirl, without you asking, and you were still mad at her?"

"She lied to me, I trusted her."

"Did she tell you about her visits to Metropolis to see me and mom? Or the times when she was injured or hurt? Or when she needed someone to talk to, but you and Auntie A were busy? How about when I was sick for your big Hong Kong presentation, and Aunt Kara took the day off to fly to Metropolis because you needed mom so bad? Did she tell you any of this Aunt Lena?"

Lena was speechless, how many texts had she simply looked at from Kara and not answered because of some big project? How many times had she been in a fight and not shown up the next day?

"So, were all these lies part of that betrayal Aunt Lena?"

"Ruby, that's different. She had you and Sam."

"She wanted you and Auntie A!"

"She could have come to me."

"You were busy, you didn't answer, me and mom did.", then she paused, "How about you Aunt Lena, you know I look up to you, I want to be just like you. You used to let me follow you around the office and pretend to be Lena Luthor.", Ruby started to cry, tears rolling down her cheeks, "But then mom transferred, and you told us you would stay in touch."

Lena was taken aback, she never realized that Ruby idolized her, she always thought it was Alex. She was also beginning to realize that while Ruby was angry about Kara's current situation, she was hurting.

"You never call just to talk, its always business. Auntie A at least writes, texts and calls all the time. Aunt Kara came to my birthday, Auntie A sent me my cell phone just for us. I bet the number is in your phone."

Lena nodded. It was, she had never even dialed it.

"Where were you for my birthday," Ruby paused, "Oh yeah, you called three days later, to talk to mom. So, all those promises were lies, you betrayed me, but I don't want to hurt you, I just want an honest answer on why you felt the need to make a promise you never planned to keep?"

"There is nothing I can say that wouldn't be an empty excuse, Ruby. Do you hate me, Ruby? Like everyone else?", Lena cried.

"No Aunt Lena, I don't hate you, I feel like I should, but I can't because I love you.", Ruby cried, realizing how much truth there was in her words. No matter what, Lena had been there three years ago when Ruby and her mom needed her, "I just wish you had talked to me, to mom, to anyone, instead of hurting Aunt Kara."

Lena felt Ruby's arms wrap around her, not believing what she had just heard. This beautiful young woman still cared for her, even after what she had done. For all her talk of betrayal and trust, Lena had done the same to everyone in her life.

"Now please tell me, Aunt Lena, please tell me that Aunt Kara is going to be okay?"

"Oh Ruby, she has to be okay."

Ruby sobbed into the shoulder of her idol while Lena held her tight.

Lena's phone buzzed, a text from Sam, 'Something is wrong with Kara.'

Kara's brainwaves started to spike, her heart rate was elevated, and her eyes were moving fast under her eyelids.

"Where am I? Who's there?" It was dark and Kara couldn't see a thing, she recognized the scent of Lena's perfume. "Lena?"

"Liar.", she heard from Lena's voice.

"Lena I'm sorry, so sorry, don't leave me alone, please, Lena I can't stand being by myself."

"Is Supergirl scared?"

"Yes, Lena! Please don't leave me alone."

"You betrayed me Supergirl, you lied about everything, so now you have been judged."

"Kara Zor-El, you have failed your mission." Alura's voice called out and are now sentenced to the Phantom Zone. Alone for all time."

"Mother, no, don't, not that please."

"Put her into that box and send her away, she betrayed the ideals of her people, she failed."

"Mother, no!", she screamed as darkness engulfed her.

"Alex it's me, your sister, don't you recognize me."

"I don't have a sister, especially not an alien like you." Alex snapped. "Get in the cell." As she pushed Kara into the cell and the Kryptonite lights came on, sapping her powers."

"Alex, please, please remember, it's me, it's Kara. Don't leave me alone, please."

"Turn down the lights, make sure she has no visitors."

Kara is in a ball crying, "Please no.", again darkness falls.

She back in the fortress, Lena smiles as she walks away, "Don't leave me alone, please Lena." Days pass, she stops eating hoping that the kryptonite will dull the pain, afraid of being trapped, afraid of being alone, afraid of failing her friends and family. She has failed her mission, she's no hero, just some girl with powers who should have stayed hidden from the world. She curls into a ball and loses track of time, pushing the food away when it is offered. Maybe darkness will claim her. She closes her eyes.

"Kara"

"Alex", then she hears her sister's heartbeat, "It's too loud Alex." Alex stops, and there's Lena and Brainy. But then Lena pulls out a gun and levels it at Brainy's head, pulling the trigger, before his body hits the floor, she turns the gun on Alex and fires. Kara hears herself scream as the cage forms around her again.

"Alone again Supergirl."

"Lena, no, please don't leave me alone again."

The faces of her family are swirling around her, calling her scared, a child, a failure.

"What's going on?"

Alex looks up at the monitor, "Oh god, she's having a nightmare. Her heart rate is spiking, if this keeps up, she's going to go into Cardiac Arrest." Alex moves to her side, putting her hand over Eliza's and gripping hard, she starts to sing a Kryptonian lullaby that Kara taught her, something that would help calm her when she had bad dreams before. Astra hears the words, it's the song she used to sing when Kara was a baby. The two women start to sing lightly, Astra watching Kara's face and listening to her heart rate, Alex watching the monitor.

"Kara, baby, we are here, stay with us," Eliza whispers into Kara's ear.

J'onn steps closer to the bed, hesitating, but then placing his hand on Astra's shoulder in a sign of unity, he joins the song. Brainy is watching the monitor. Sam is at Kara's feet gripping the rail of the bed. All are watching and waiting.

The faces of her family are still there, but the sound has changed. They are singing, Astra and Alex, J'onn and Sam, she hears Eliza, she hears Brainy, they are here, she isn't alone. Lena's face comes into focus and Kara closes her eyes and opens them again. Lena's face breaks like a mirror and Kara is looking at herself, with her family standing around her, singing a lullaby, letting her know that they are all here for her.

"Her heart rate is slowing down and her brainwave activity is leveling off, she is coming out of the nightmare," Alex says as she looks around the room.

Lena enters the room, "What happened?"

"Nightmare." Eliza answers.

Ruby blurs into the room standing beside Astra and J'onn, she puts her hand on Kara's head. Everyone notices a soft smile form on Kara's lips, as she sighs and continues to sleep.

"How bad?" Lena asks.

"Bad enough, that we thought she was going to go into Cardiac Arrest."

"Thank you, Martian, for the support, but this changes nothing between us.", Astra shrugs J'onn's hand off her shoulder, then looks back to her niece but questions Alex, "Who taught you that song?"

"Kara did, she said you used to sing it to her on Krypton.", Alex answered.

"Thank you, you and I will talk Alexandra. But not until she is safe.", Astra says softly.

Sam peels her hands from the bed, a perfect imprint of them now a permanent part of the bed.

"Will someone please explain what has happened to my niece? Who is responsible for this?"

"That would be me.", Lena answered almost whispering.


	16. Recovery Begins

Astra stood, still holding Kara's hand. "You are responsible for this?" Staring at Lena in shock. Lena backed away in a defensive gesture, however, Astra took it as submission. For a moment anger overtakes her, and she flexes her hands. However, this action causes her to squeeze Kara's hand, and in her current state, Kara's hand is slowly being crushed.

Kara stirs, her eyes open, trying to focus, but between the pain and her body's exhaustion, she mistakes Astra for her mother, "Mother, you're hurting me.".

Astra looks down, realizing in her anger she may have hurt her niece. "Oh Rao, Little One."

Through the haze of pain, Kara realized something, no one called her that, no one except "Astra? But you, you're, how?"

Astra releases Kara's hand, and Kara, fearful that it is all a dream, grasp at the loose tunic Astra is wearing, gripping it as best she can. "Aunt Astra, please don't leave me, don't leave me alone, again," she begs.

Lena is about to move forward, to check on Kara's hand but stops when she sees a bit of fear in Kara's eyes. Then Kara blinks, and she remembers, her family is here with her and they will protect her. "Astra, this woman is under my protection, no judgment may be passed until I release her from that protection," she states in Kryptonese.

"Kara?", Astra looks shocked, almost as if her niece slapped her. But it's not her niece, or Alex or even Sam that calms her, she feels a hand in hers, and she looks down. Ruby is there grasping her hand.

"General, please calm down, for Kara's sake," Ruby asks, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Astra looks around, she has stood in this moment before, she looks into Kara's pleading eyes. The last time Astra was in this position, she chose badly and it cost her everything, this time, she would not make the wrong choice, she would choose, her family.

She sits and watches Ruby and Samantha remove Lena from the room. Alex is in motion instantly, looking for all the tools she needs to set and wrap Kara's broken finger. She warns Astra first, then Kara, that it is going to hurt when she sets the finger. She closes, her own eyes, and pops the broken bone back into place, tears stream down Astra's face as she hears Kara's scream of pain. Kara's eyes roll back, as once again she is swallowed by the darkness.

Sam, Ruby, and Lena are in the hallway when Kara screams. Each cringe, knowing that Kara is hurting, accepting that right now, at this moment, there is nothing they can do for her. Sam moves Lena into her lab's office.

"Breath Lena, what were you thinking?" Sam snapped "why would you say something like that to Astra?"

"It was the truth." Lena answered nonchalantly, "What did Kara say to Astra?"

Ruby, who seems to speak and understand Kryptonese better than her mother, answers Lena's question, "Aunt Kara has placed you under her protection and the protection of her house Champion. No one of Kryptonian descent may pass judgment over you for so long as that protection remains in place."

Lena slides down onto her knees crying, "Why, why would she do that for me, after everything I have done to her? I used her, I trapped her, I hurt her, and I betrayed her, yet still,", Lena's tears come even harder. Suddenly a memory flashes through her head, a promise made on a couch a lifetime ago, when a beautiful blonde in black-rimmed glasses made a promise to always protect her. She continues to cry into Sam's arms, tears falling, staining Sam's shirt. Ruby is crying as well, tucked under her mother's arm. Samantha Arias, she has to hold her tears in, knowing that right now is not the moment for her to cry. Her friend needs her, Lena is as alone now, as Sam was when Reign was in control, and once again, Kara, that wonderful, beautiful paragon of hope, is there to protect them. Kara might be broken right now, but she is truly the hero they all need right now. Ruby cries for a few more minutes before settling down. Lena cries for about 10 minutes more till her phone buzzes. Lucy Lane has sent her a text.

Lucy: 'Need clearance to land.'

Lena: 'Lucy?'

Lucy: 'Coming in with more people for Kara. Lois, Alura, Nia, Kelly, Clark Kent and Jon Kent.'

Lena: 'I'll clear you through security. Elevator code 252179'

Lucy: 'Thanks Lena'

Lena: 'You're welcome'

She turned to Sam, "Lucy is bringing people in, Kara is going to need a few days to recover, why don't we set up the other condo for them to use."

"Okay, I'm sure they will appreciate it. What about Kara, is she going to be okay?"

"We need to check her blood again, maybe Alex can get a sample and we can test it. But first, I need to show something to you and Ruby. She helped me tonight, she helped me to see something I should have seen myself." Lena smiled at Ruby.

"Okay?"

"Sam this is important to me, I know you are worried about Kara, but this will give you some insights into how bad I was.", Lena was practically begging.

"Okay, let's see it."

"In my office," Lena pleaded, "Please?"

Sam accepted the fact that Lena needed her at this moment a lot more than Kara did, so she, Lena and Ruby made their way upstairs.

While in the elevator, Lena was notified of the helicopter, Lucy and more of Kara's family were here. She cleared all security protocols and made sure that they wouldn't run into any roadblocks on their way downstairs.

Sam texted Alex and let her know they needed a sample of Kara's blood for testing, and that Lucy was here with everyone else.

The helicopter landed and the group disembarked and moved towards the elevator. Lucy led the way, even dressed down, in jeans, a blouse and her Converse high tops stilled carried the authority of her rank and position, Alura, uncomfortable about the helicopter ride, but worried about Kara followed, Nia, wearing her favorite jeans and t-shirt with tennis shoes was worried about Kara as well, but had faith in her family that they knew what they were doing. Kelly was behind them, lost in her thoughts, she needed to get into Kara's head, but so far, the physical issues and the initial shock of returning to her family, she hadn't had time. Finally, Lois and Clark followed, Jon was in Lois' arms, and Clark couldn't have looked more uncomfortable, between not really trusting Samantha and not trusting Lena Luthor completely, he felt like he was walking into the shadow of a demon. "Clark, you need to relax, I know you are not happy with this, but Lucy and I both agree, Sam would not have put Kara in any danger."

"But Lois, she is a world killer, all the research in the Fortress shows that she is dangerous."

Lois stops, looks to Lucy, and ask, "Can you please take Jon down with you, we will follow, I need to speak with my husband."

Lucy couldn't help but smile, she and Lois, hadn't made up, but her sister was making a huge effort and Lucy was determined to follow her lead. "Of course, Lois, thank you, thank you for trusting me with him."

Lois smiled at her little sister, realizing how much she had missed of Lucy growing up, it couldn't have been easy, Lois cast a huge shadow, and their father, Lucy was so strong to have followed in his path, and to flourish as she had. "Lucy, little sister, I can't think of a safer place for my son right now than in his aunt's arms."

The last thing she saw before the elevator doors closed was Lucy beaming down at her son, Lois smiled for a moment, then turned to her husband, "Clark, I know how you feel about Lex, and I can understand your anger with Lena, but why can you not let this go with Sam. Kara trusts her and according to Alura, Kara named her the personal protector of the house of El."

"Kara shouldn't have done that."

"Clark," Lois was exasperated, "Kara was protecting her family, are you telling me that you wouldn't have done the same if you had to?"

"Well no, but."

"No but's Clark, Kara is in a very bad place and she needs our support if you can't be here 100% go home till you can be.", she said firmly, "I love you, Clark, I will always love you, but you are so concerned with what you see in front of your face, you keep forgetting that Kara doesn't see with just her eyes, she uses her heart as well, if she trusts Sam, I trust Sam. Lena Luthor is another story, but with everyone here, I highly doubt that Lena would do anything to jeopardize herself or her company. If we had all been more supportive of Kara and her decisions about Lena in the first place, maybe we wouldn't be here now."

Clark Kent hung his head, his wife was right, he never could see things the way Kara did, he was too jaded, "Lois, I love you, I'm going to run a patrol, I'll be back later to check on Kara, okay?"

Lois kissed her husband, the man of steel, "I love you too, Clark, go fly, get your head wrapped around this."

She watched as her Superman quickly changed and launched himself into the air, "Be careful." She whispered, then turned and entered the elevator.

Meanwhile, in Kara's room, the tension from earlier has relaxed a bit, Alex, Brainy, and J'onn are standing in the corner, going over the readouts from Lena's equipment. Alex is explaining that while the machine is keeping track of how well the vaccine is working, Lena, like Alex herself, prefers to see things for herself, so Alex has taken three vials of Kara's blood and set them aside so that Lena can take a look when she comes back. She walks over to the bed, with Brainy in tow, and lifts the sheet covering Kara's wound, it has healed slightly, but not as quickly as Alex is used to. She looks at the rushed stitch job she performed earlier after setting Kara's finger, normally she wouldn't mind, but it will have to be cleaned up, because knowing her sister, she is not going to cancel Monday's press conference, and based on the current rate of healing, this wound will still be open in 6 days.

Astra is looking at Alex as she checks on Kara, this woman, who ended her life, was so protective of her niece. She smiled, happy that her Kara was so cared for here on Earth, her niece had seen so much evil, including Astra herself, yet she had never stopped caring, had never stopped believing in Astra, her last words still rang in Astra's head, "You were there Astra, as my family." A tear fell down her cheek and splashed on Kara's sheet. Alex looked up at her, smiled shyly and patted Astra's hand, a gesture of kindness, a step in the right direction for both of them. Astra was still hurt by the lack of honor between her and Alex, but even she had to grudgingly agree that perhaps this little earth girl and herself were more alike than she would care to admit.

Eliza seemed to be lost in her thoughts, she knew in heart that her adoptive daughter would be okay, but she had never seen Kara in such a bad way before. She knew Kara had been hurt and injured throughout her career as Supergirl, but this was the first time she had been witness to how much the poor girl could take. Kara was a hero, with or without her powers, but for the first time since Kara had come to them, Eliza was wishing her powers would kick back in.

The door to Kara's room opened and all heads turned as Lucy, still holding Jon, Nia, Kelly, and Alura started to enter the room. They all stopped, seeing Kara lying in the bed, looking pale, but breathing steadily. But the woman sitting beside her was almost as shocking Kara's condition. For a few heartbeats, the world stopped spinning as Alura, and Astra looked at one another.

A heartbeat passed, matching eyes blinked in unison, breath caught. Neither could speak, what would they say. And then the mirror shattered as the sisters approached one another.

"Astra?" Alura spoke first.

"Alura?" Another question forming on Astra's tongue.

"Kara told me you were dead?" Alura questioned?

"Krypton is gone, how?" Astra asked another step between them made.

"Astra, I made so many mistakes at the end."

"Alura, I hurt Kara in my anger at you."

"Sending you away, not listening to my heart"

"In my stubbornness, I stopped listening to my heart."

The gap starts to close quicker, these two women, twins, who have been brought back together by the force of nature they call daughter and niece. They meet at the foot of Kara's bed and grasp hands, looking at each other, feeling flesh on flesh as they realize it is not a dream, they have been reunited.

Meanwhile upstairs in her office, Lena was preparing to deliver more ammunition against herself. She pulled up the recording of herself the night of the Pulitzer Ceremony. "Sam and Ruby, what I am about to play, this was months ago, so please, please don't get any angrier with me."

Both Sam and Ruby looked at Lena, Sam had a frown on her face and Ruby was unreadable.

"I am playing this because of what Ruby said to me today, and because of what Kara is doing by placing me under her protection. This will set the stage for everything I did up to trapping Kara in the Fortress. I'm not asking for forgiveness or understanding, but I think that it's time I came clean."

**The recording begins.**

**Kara: "Lena, I can't tell you how much it means to me that you were there tonight, that you're even willing to talk to me at all."**

**Lena: "Thank you for telling me the truth, but, Kara, things can't be like they were before. Do you understand? There can be no more secrets between us, I have to be in on everything."**

**Kara: "You will be. That's actually why I'm here. You know everything now. And if you ever need me, all you have to do is call."**

Lena pulls a watch out of her desk drawer and places it on her desk, twisting it in her fingers.

**The recording continues.**

**They can hear Supergirl fly off.**

**HOPE: "The file was ready to upload. Why didn't you send it, exposing Supergirl's identity to the world? Did you forgive Kara Danvers?"******

**LENA: "She betrayed me. It broke my heart. I could never forgive her." ******

**HOPE: "Then I don't understand."******

**LENA: "How could you? You're not a Luthor. We're scorpions. When someone betrays us, we sting. But I have a calling, Hope, and it's to fix mankind. I never thought Supergirl would tell me who she was, but now that she has, I have an opportunity, and I can use Supergirl to achieve my ends. That is easier to do if she believes there is trust. Load the simulation."**

**End of Recording**

Sam is looking at Lena like she would rather be anywhere but here. And Ruby was in tears.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to upset you two at all, I realized something when Ruby told me Kara was still protecting me, Kara she doesn't keep her secret just to protect her family and friends, she keeps it because someone could use that person to make her do things, to twist her trust like I did. I did it, I used her secret against her, instead of accepting her, instead of telling her I had known. I used Kara, to get Lex's journals, to get to the Fortress, to steal Myriad, all of it." Lena said in tears. "If I had been honest with her that night on the balcony."

Sam interrupted, "She would have stayed by your side Lena, she would have let you get everything out of your system, your anger, your sadness, everything. We never would have come to this point."

"I know, I became my brother," Lena said, hanging her head.

Sam stood up and came around the desk, she knelt down beside Lena, and looked her in the eyes, "You haven't become Lex. You recognize your limits, you understand what you have done, and now you want to get better."

"That sounds like something Kara would say," Lena said sniffling.

"That's exactly what Aunt Kara would say," Ruby said, placing her hand on Lena's shoulder.

"But how do I tell any of this to Harley tomorrow, or is it today."

Downstairs all of Kara's family had lost track of time, everyone including Jon was tired. No one wanted to leave, but they couldn't all stay here.

Sam entered Kara's room, looking around. Alex was still in front of the readouts, Brainy was dead on his feet, leaning on Nia who seemed to be falling asleep. Lucy and Lois were on the floor in the corner trying to keep Jon occupied. Alura, who seemed to still have to keep her distance from Kara's wound, was talking with Astra and Eliza from the far side of the bed. J'onn was watching everything from the door, and nodded when she came in. Sam cleared her throat, then spoke, "Lena has arranged for you all to stay at her building until the press conference on Monday."

Everyone started to speak at once, Sam rolled her eyes, and put on her most exasperated mom face, "I know everyone wants to stay with Kara, I understand, but we won't be any good to her if we are all tired and grumpy, so please everyone, take Lena up on her offer and head over, One or two people can rotate in and out, but Lena needs to know who is going to be here so she can come in and check on Kara. She would like to avoid getting assaulted, but she needs to look over everything and make sure the vaccine is progressing as it should."

Astra stands, "Samantha, you are asking us to trust her alone with Kara?"

"No Astra, I'm asking that if Lena is in the room, to allow her to do what she must, please, she is the only person, other than Alex and Eliza who have any idea how Kara is progressing. Alex is exhausted and we have all been leaning heavily on Eliza the last few days. Everyone in this room is important to Kara's wellbeing, but," Sam closed her eyes, took a deep breath, "but for the next few days we have to trust Lena." She stopped talking, waiting for the arguments to start.

Everyone in the room looked at Sam, instead of fighting and arguing, they all nodded, agreeing that just this once, Lena gets a free pass.

Everyone starts to shuffle out until only Sam and Astra remain. "If it is acceptable protector, I will remain here for the night, I give my word not to harm Lena Luthor."

Sam is exhausted, she hasn't had enough rest or enough to eat, her nerves are frayed and her Kara is lying in a hospital bed, all she can do is look to Astra, nod and pull the woman into a fierce hug, crying into her shoulder. At first, Astra is at a loss, then she realizes that more than anyone, this woman has become a rock for all the others to come too, she has put her emotions aside for the good of everyone else, including her own Little One. She tightens her grip on the woman, "Go ahead Samantha, there is nothing dishonorable about showing weakness in front of," she pauses, "Family."

"El Mayarah", Sam says, "Stronger together."


	17. Support

Sam stood another moment in Astra's embrace until she was sure she wouldn't cry again. "Thank you, Astra, I apologize for my outburst, it's been a long week and Kara is very important to me."

"Samantha my child, I am older, but I am not blind, you" she looked behind her to make sure Kara was still asleep "you care deeply for my niece, so much so that you are harming yourself by protecting her. Go with your family and your youngling and get some rest, I will honor my word, Lena Luthor will not be harmed."

"Thank you, Astra, do you need anything, some food? Something to drink?"

"Non and I developed a taste for, Sherry, I believe it is called. And grilled cheese sandwiches."

"I'll see what I can do." Sam smiled, what an interesting combination.

As she headed towards the elevator, she texted Lena Astra's request and asked her to send Ruby to the lobby so they could head to the condo.

Ruby came off of Lena's private elevator at the same time Sam stepped into the lobby, Sam greeted her with a hug then watched as she charged Nia. Watching the two of them hug brought a huge smile to Sam's face. Her daughter had seen so much in the past week, but Nia was helping her cope and giving her someone to connect with. Nia may have been older, but she just rolled with the punches of having a 14-year-old bombard her with questions constantly.

She walked up to Alex and gave her a quick squish, Alex smiled tiredly and leaned into Sam. "Lena supplied us with two SUVs for the week Alex, so getting back and forth should be easy, and I called over and had the fridge and freezer stocked so we can eat more than just take out."

"Sam, we all can't thank you enough, between Kara and Lena and you running point for all this, I don't know how we will ever pay you back."

"You can pay me back by never saying that again, this is family Alex, and I know you are used to being Kara's protector, but you have got to let us help, if something happens to you, Kara will be devastated." Sam said, very seriously, "I also want to thank you, Alex, for not arguing with me about Lena."

"I wanted to Sam, I did, but you are right, Lena was Kara's only hope for the blood poisoning. I never would have found a cure in time."

"Alex, you have done everything you possibly can for Kara, don't let one thing overshadow everything you have done, you are an amazing sister and friend, now let's go get some sleep, it's going to be a busy week."

"Yeah, okay."  
Sam jumped into the driver's side of one SUV, while Alex drove the other, and off they went. 10 minutes later they arrived at the condo. "Alright everyone, it's big, but not that big. Mom's get the master, Kelly, and Alex, bedroom 2, Lois and Lucy, I hope it's okay, I put you two in the same room and I had maintenance bring up a travel crib for Jon. J'onn and Brainy, you guys get the twin beds in #4 and I get the study. Nia and Ruby, if it's okay with you two, you get the couches in the living room." Sam said, feeling exhausted.

Everyone trudged off to their bedroom, except Eliza, who stayed to say goodnight to Ruby, then she turned and hugged Sam "Thank you." She whispered.

Sam stretched the hug out just a moment more "You're welcome." Then Eliza headed to bed.

Sam got a glass of water and headed into the living room to check on Ruby one last time. "You okay baby."

"Yeah, momma, long day though," Ruby answered with a smile.

"Do I need to leave?" Nia asked, feeling like she was intruding.

"No Nia, you can stay, I was about to ask how you are doing?" Sam answered.

"I'm okay, I'm ready for Kara to get better, and I am not looking forward to Monday. The city, it will be so lonely without her patrolling.", Nia said sadly.

Sam took a sip of her water and rested her hand on Nia's. "Nia, this is only temporary, until she can get over this incident, and get her powers back, Kara will be back, and she will still be in Midvale, so you know you can call her whenever you need advice."

"I know, it's just, well Kara's always been there for me, I'm kinda scared. What if people don't take me seriously without Kara to back me up?"

"Honey, you have been covering the city without Kara for almost a month and a half now, you got this," Sam said smiling at the young superhero. "Now, I'm going to bed." She finished her water, hugged Nia and kissed Ruby on the forehead, "Love you, Ruby."

"Love you too momma," Ruby said sleepily.

Sam padded through towards the study, stopping long enough to rinse her glass. "And you never know Nia, you might have a new Supergirl, to help out," Ruby whispered.

"I heard that," Sam said, just loud enough for the two girls. All she got was giggles for her response. Then she headed towards the bedroom, knowing her dreams would be full of a certain gorgeous blonde.

Meanwhile back at L Corp, Lena was exhausted but had one more thing to do before she could crash on her couch for the night. She headed down to her lab to check on Kara and deliver a bottle of Sherry and 4 grilled cheese sandwiches from the nighttime cafeteria cook.

She knocked on Kara's door to let Astra know she was there. "I brought you something to eat."

"Come in Ms. Luthor," Astra answered. "And thank you."

Lena entered the room, holding the food in front of her. "I'm afraid I only have a small bottle of Sherry, Kara was the only person who ever drank it, so I didn't keep a lot around. And here are your grilled cheese sandwiches." She set the tray down on a small rolling table and moved it in front of Astra. "Go ahead and eat, I just need to check a few things, then I will leave you two alone."

Astra offered Lena a sandwich "Ms. Luthor, have you eaten? Would you like one?"

Lena only had to think for a minute, she and Lex had spent many nights with the chef devouring grilled cheese. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"If you are to take proper care of my niece, you need to eat, so no, I do not mind," Astra answered. "And could you explain to me what you are doing so that I may understand it please?"

Lena was shocked, Astra wanted to understand the therapy. "Of course." She answered between bites "I developed the vaccine using Samantha's blood, she acquired a small immunity to Kryptonite due to some genetic manipulation that was done when she was an infant."

"On Krypton?" Astra asked.

"I am assuming so, her cells show signs of DNA manipulation, but this would have been done when she was either in her mother's womb or shortly after she was born. The manipulation caused a severe case of split personality disorder. I'm sorry, my degrees don't cover this particular field." Lena explained.

"No go ahead, Kara was better at science than either me or her mother, but I can understand the basics," Astra responded.

'Kara was good at science?' Lena thought to herself, before continuing "I helped Samantha overcome the personality disorder, with both Supergirl, Kara's help and her own. I noticed however that Kryptonite had a very small effect on her blood, and at the time, I was working on a cure for Kryptonite poisoning that would assist your niece by helping her overcome that weakness. I can bring Kara's blood sample up on that screen if you would like to see it?" Lena asked.

"That would be nice, yes. So, you and Kara worked together in the past? Why then did you hurt her?" Astra asked, confused by the situation.

Lena took a deep breath, "I found out that Kara was Supergirl from someone other than Kara. I have trust issues, and your niece found a way past those. I felt betrayed and I took it out on Kara, and I'm so sorry. I did this to her." Lena brought the image of Kara blood up on the screen, you could still see the Kryptonite in the blood, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before.

Astra stood to look at the screen, she was looking closely at the antibodies as they fought to clear the kryptonite from Kara's bloodstream. "Can you cause this image to stop moving Ms. Luthor?"

"I can," Lena answered, slightly confused.

"I am looking for a marker, you said this vaccine is from Samantha's blood."

"Yes ma'am"

"All the people of Krypton are descended from four houses, and each house's blood is slightly different, there are markers, differences that are noticeable to the trained eye. I thought that maybe, with it mixed in Kara's I could see those markers." Astra said, absentmindedly.

Lena paused the screen, then heard the one sound she wasn't expecting.

"Lena" Kara whispered; the fear evident in her voice. Lena turned to head towards the door, to escape. Kara searched the room and saw Astra standing there and took a deep breath "Lena stop." Kara said, in her Supergirl voice. Even Astra turned, making certain that her niece was okay.

Lena turn "Kara?"

Kara took a deep breath again and tried to control her trembling hands by placing them in her lap. "Lena, thank you. Thank you for saving me again."

Lena was dumbfounded, Kara knew it was her, "How, you have been unconscious most of the time, how do you know?

"Well you are here, and that means I am" she looked around "in one of your labs, which I have visited many times. My whole family was here, and they all looked to you when Astra lost her temper." Astra hung her head, shame evident on her face. "And you are checking on me, my progress at whatever time it is which must be late because I can see the exhaustion in your eyes from here."

"Kara, I am, I don't, I'm not sure what to say," Lena answered, her lip trembling.

"Say you're welcome."

"You're welcome Kara,'' Lena said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Tears started to form in Kara's eyes "Lena please don't cry, I am barely able to hold myself together right now, there is no way I could handle that." Kara said, gritting her teeth, trying not to hyperventilate.

Lena wiped her eyes and turned back to her equipment. With her back turned Kara let out a shaky breath, willing herself to breathe, in and out, and concentrate on the fact that Astra was there with her. She looked towards her Aunt, was that her blood on the screen. "Is that my blood?"

"Yes," both women answered.

"Why are there Zod markers in my blood?" Kara asked.

"Niece, it infuriates me when you do that, I have been looking for the markers and you wake up and look one time and see them. I know you were the youngest person ever selected for the science guild, but must you do that." Astra was trying hard not to laugh, now that Kara had pointed them out, they were obvious.

"Sorry, Aunt Astra.", Kara smiled from under her hair. And Lena got a look at the old Kara, the one who had made her days so much brighter. She turned her head before Kara could catch her looking. "Lena, whose blood did you use?"

"Sam's." Lena said, "Is it a bad thing?"

"No, while transfusions were rare on Krypton, our blood is all the same, except for the markers, but now we know which house Sam is descended from."

"Why is that a big deal?" Lena asked.

"I will explain it to you one day, for now, can you tell me how I am doing, then go get some sleep," Kara said.

"The vaccine is working, however, because of the amount of Kryptonite in your blood, I estimate that you are looking at 5-6 days before it completely flushes from your system, and then 3-4 months before your powers return in full," Lena said, trying not to sound too clinical.

"3-4 months" Kara whispered, on the verge of tears. She brought her good hand up to her face, to wipe away the tears, then turned her head towards Lena.

"I'm sorry Kara, so sorry." Then Lena left the room.

Astra came over and sat on the bed beside Kara as her niece cried. "That was brave of you Little One, I could hear your heart racing, but you faced your fears like the wonderful woman you are."

Kara wanted to scream, yell, to throw something at Lena Luthor. "All this because of my secret."

"Little One, you will get better, no matter what has happened in the past my dear niece, you have to look towards the future. You have your family to support you and protect you and you have the heart of a warrior, there is no doubt in my mind that Supergirl will be back, and she will be stronger than ever." Astra said, rubbing Kara's back as she cried.

"Thank you, Aunt Astra. Thank you so much for coming back." Kara cried.

"Thank you, Kara, for believing in me." Astra cried softly.

They sat there with Kara resting her head on Astra's shoulder until they both fell back to sleep.

Lena arrived back in her office, she was hyperventilating and reached for her phone, she dialed the first number that popped up.

"Lena? Do you know what time it is?" Andrea Rojas answered on the fourth ring.

"Andrea, I need someone to talk to," Lena said through her panicked breathing.

"Lena, are you okay?" Andrea was panicked "Where are you?"

"L Corp." Lena got out.

"I'm coming, stay on the phone with me Lena."

"Okay" Lena let out shakily.

Andrea rushed around her condo, getting dressed, keeping Lena talking, making sure she was calming down. "Lena I'm coming, I promise, I'll be there." Andrea kept repeating. Finally, she was out the door, stepping into her personal vehicle, a black Audi R8 Spyder, she pressed the start button and sped out of her garage towards L Corp.

14 minutes later she entered L Corp using Lena's personal code and headed up to the CEO's office. "Lena I'm here, I'm on my way up."

As she stepped off the elevator, Lena was there. Andrea scooped her into a hug. "Lena, I'm here honey. It's okay, it's going to be okay, breathe, breathe, take a deep breath."

Lena was listening, trying to follow Andrea's instructions. "Thank you," she said between shaky breaths. "I'm so sorry"

"Lena it's okay" Andrea didn't understand what was going on, but this was so unlike the Lena she knew. She picked Lena up, thankful for once for the powers that the medallion had unlocked. She carried her friend into her office and settled her onto the couch. She stepped up to the bar to get Lena a drink.

"Can't have alcohol." Lena gulped out between tears.

If Andrea was shocked, she didn't let it show, she changed gears smoothly and got her friend a glass of water with ice and a twist of lime. She carried it to Lena and made her drink it. "Slowly Lena, don't gulp." She scolded, lightly. "You want to tell me what is going on?

"Not right now, please. I just needed a friendly face." Lena answered.

Andrea looked at Lena's face, really looked. Her normally put together façade was at this moment, very broken, she was pale, paler than usual for Lena, and her eyes had dark circles under them. She also seemed thinner than the last time they had visited. "Have you been eating? Lena?"

"I'm on a timer, my psychiatrist, she made me set my watch, so I don't forget to eat," Lena answered, then covered her mouth.

"Lena, when did you start seeing a psychiatrist? Who are you seeing?"

"This weekend, her name is Harleen Quinzel." Lena lowered her face, ashamed that Andrea was seeing her like this.

At that moment, Andrea felt nothing but pride for her friend, she didn't understand what had led to this moment for Lena, but she was secretly happy that her friend had decided she needed help. "Lena, lift your chin, I'm not going to judge you, after all, you have done for me, I will be right here for you as well."

Lena looked Andrea in the eyes "Thank you. Could you maybe stay here with me tonight, please?"

Andrea knew in her head that Lena meant just for sleep, but she couldn't help the reaction in her heart when Lena asked. "Of course, I can Lena, you have pillows and blankets?"

Lena nodded "In the closet."

Andrea moved the coffee table and pushed Lena's couches together, she gathered up what she needed in the closet, including some MIT sweats for Lena. She got Lena changed, ignoring the urge to stare at the bruises on Lena's stomach and how much more pronounced her ribs were against her skin, she may be eating, but not enough. While Lena finished getting dressed, Andrea set the couch up for her, getting everything just right. Then she pulled off her jeans, thankful she had opted for one of her t-shirts before heading over. She tried to maintain a good distance between her and Lena, but as soon as her body hit the couch Lena moved closer. Then she realized, Lena was craving touch, so she pulled her friend closer to her and felt Lena finally relax. Lena starts to fall asleep, pushing herself into Andrea, but just before she lets the exhaustion overtake her, she speaks "Please don't leave me."

"I'm not going anywhere honey, just sleep, just rest Lena, I'm right here."

As Lena falls asleep, Andrea lays there and just looks at the wall, wondering what could have led to this moment. And where was Kara?


	18. Hack Sisters

Astra heard footsteps coming down the hall and slowly untangled herself from Kara. How her niece could sleep in such an awkward position was beyond her. There was a knock at the door, then Samantha, her youngling, Ruby and the one called Nia entered.

"Good morning Astra did you two get some rest?", Samantha asked.

"Good morning Samantha, yes we slept quite well after Ms. Luthor visited." Astra smiled, Sam looked at her nervously, "She's still alive Samantha, she and I spoke and shared a small meal. Kara spoke to her as well. Although she was frightened, but she overcame the fear."

Sam smiled with pride that Kara had been able to overcome her fear and speak to Lena. She was sure she would get more information when she headed upstairs.

"Good morning General," Ruby said, seriously.

"Good morning young warrior, how are you doing, did you sleep well?" Astra smiled at the young girl, this one reminded her of Kara when they were still on Krypton.

"Quite well General," then Ruby spoke in Kryptonese, "may Rao's light protect you through the day."

Impressed, Astra answered the formal greeting in Kryptonese, "And may his light stay in your heart through the dark of night."

Sam was impressed and Nia was grinning ear to ear, they had worked on pronunciation all the way over in the car.

"Your youngling is an excellent representation of her bloodline, Samantha." Astra smiled.

"But I don't know our bloodline," Sam said, confused.

From behind Alura, a sleepy voice spoke, "Samantha and Ruby Arias, of the House of Zod, Honor, Endurance, and Loyalty, a strong house with a long history. May Rao honor your name and bless your descendants in the future." Kara said softly.

"Aunt Kara." Ruby walked towards her bed and wrapped her arms around Kara. Kara smiled at the attention. "How do you feel?"

"Tired, but it will pass," she answered.

"Kara, it's so good to see you awake. Any pain, do you need anything?" Sam asked.

Kara blushed and whispered to Sam, "Can you help me get to the bathroom? Please?"

Sam helped Kara sit up, she hopped off the bed, and her legs almost gave out. Tears formed in her eyes as Sam gently stood her up. Kara shuffled to the bathroom, slowly, but under her own power. Sam got her in and left the door cracked. When Kara finished, she moved her back to the bed, getting her settled in. Kara's face was red, and she was sweating slightly from the effort, but mostly she was angry with herself. "Sorry, Sam."

"Nonsense Kara, you don't have to apologize, you have been through a lot and blood poisoning is not easy to recover from," Sam answered.

"Lena said last night, that it will take another 5 or 6 days for the Kryptonite to clear my system and then 3-4 months before my powers are back," Kara said, still upset by the situation, but refusing to cry.

"We will get through this Kara, I promise, we are all here for you." Sam patted her hand gently. "Now is there anything you need, are you hungry? You must be bored; you want a TV or something?"

While Kara was thinking, Nia was getting to know Astra. "So, you are the badass hero Kara is always bragging about."

"Is this a compliment?" Astra asked.

"Oh sorry, I sometimes forget my filter, what I meant is that, oh god." Nia blushed.

"It's okay Ms. Nal, thank you, it is nice to hear that Kara thinks so highly of me." Astra smiled. "Now I have a question for you."

"Yes, ma'am?" Nia answered with a question.

"Do your friends know that you are Naltorian?" Astra asked.

"What? Oh yes ma'am, all of my friends know, my mother was Naltorian and father is human." Nia answered happily. "How did you know?"

"I noticed the blue swirls in your eyes yesterday during my outburst with Ms. Luthor. It is a trait I have only seen in Naltorians." Astra answered frankly.

Nia never realized that before. "Thank you, ma'am, sometimes it is nice to be seen for who I am."

Astra smiled then turned when she heard Sam and Kara talking.

"Kara, I don't mind getting you a tablet, but you cannot hack Lena's system," Sam said.

"Sam, I don't want to hack her system, I just want the treatment information that she is using on me and Aunt Astra. It is my body and I promise I won't dig around for anything else." Kara pouted, "Please I am going to go nuts if I don't have, something to do?"

Sam hated that pout, she couldn't say no to it and honestly, she didn't care if Kara hacked the system, hell, she probably would anyway, as good as Kara was, no one except maybe Lena would ever know. "Fine, I will bring you a tablet and give you the internet password, okay?"

"Thank you, Sam, I promise I will only look at the data about my treatments" Kara smiled.

"Nia can you stay here with Kara and Astra till Lucy gets here. I'm going to take Ruby upstairs and get started on my day, I'll send Ruby back down in a few with Kara's tablet." Sam asked.

"Yes ma'am" Nia answered.

"Thank you, Ruby will be back, then you, her and Astra can go shopping for some clothes and you two can take Astra to breakfast" Sam responded.

"Shopping?" Astra asked.

Nia turned and looked at her, "It's like therapy for your soul Astra, you'll love it."

Sam and Ruby left to head upstairs.

In Lena's office, Andrea had been up for a few hours, taking care of both her businesses, CatCo needed a few signatures from her, but Obsidian North was functioning like the well-oiled machine it was. She was looking at Lena, 'This is the latest I have ever seen her sleep' she thought to herself. Once again, she was wondering where exactly Kara was. Ms. Danvers hadn't bothered to send any stories in, and Andrea had to terminate her contract, but that was business, Lena was personal, and she and Kara were best friends. Oh well, she would happily take Kara's place if Lena would have her. She would let Lena sleep a little longer. Then she heard the elevator ding outside.

She moved to the door, straightening her clothes, it was still early, only about 7:30. Of course, it could be Lena's executive assistant, the woman started work at ungodly hours and expected her staff to be the same way. She stepped out of Lena's office just as Sam and Ruby exited the elevator. Sam stopped, stepping between this woman and Ruby.

"Good morning, I'm…" Andrea started to say.

"I know who you are, your Andrea Rojas, Obsidian North, Lena had me look into your company a while back when she was looking at purchasing it," Sam answered.

That was a detail Lena had left out of her conversations recently, not that Andrea was surprised, Lena kept everything bottled up. "And you are?"

"Samantha Arias, Vice President of Outsourcing and Contracting. This is my daughter Ruby. Is Lena available?" Sam answered, sounding, only a little defensive.

"She is not available at this moment," Andrea answered, matching Sam's tone.

"Is she okay?" Sam asked, prepared to enter Lena's office with or without this woman's permission.

Lena picked that moment to make an appearance as she opened the door, "I'm fine Sam, Andrea came to help me through a bad night." She caught the look on Sam's face "Not like that Sam, I had an anxiety attack, Andrea isn't just a business relation, we've known each other since boarding school."

Sam visibly relaxed, Andrea looked at her and smirked, although she couldn't quite figure out why, but this woman, Samantha radiated power.

Ruby just charged between the woman. "Good morning Aunt Lena." Hugging her, bringing a smile to Lena's face and convincing both Sam and Andrea to relax. Sam decided that maybe she should offer an olive branch, she held out her hand.

"I'm sorry, I tend to be a bit overprotective of my friends," Sam said with a smile.

"Apology accepted; I seem to have that same problem when it comes to Lena," Andrea answered, smiling all the way to her eyes while accepting the hand in front of her.

"Lee, can I get a tablet and internet access for our project downstairs please?" Sam asked,

"Yes, of course, any particular project?"

"The K Vaccine" Sam cringed a bit.

Lena raised one eyebrow at Sam, who shrugged. Lena nodded and turned to head into her office, Ruby followed. Andrea was about to follow when Sam stopped her. "Ms. Rojas, may I speak with you for a moment."

"What can I do for you, Ms. Arias?" Andrea answered.

"I'm sure you have noticed that Lena is a bit stressed. I was wondering if you would be kind enough to help me keep an eye on her until she gets through this.' Sam pleaded.

"Maybe we started off on the wrong foot Ms. Arias," Andrea said immediately changing her mind about this woman who seemed to have Lena's best interest at heart.

"Sam, you may call me Sam." she interrupted.

"Sam, Lena is a dear friend and I played with her trust years ago, I have regretted it ever since. Purchasing CatCo was a chance to see her again and maybe repair those issues. She is seeing a psychiatrist now, so I will do whatever needs to be done to support her. And please, call me Andrea." She answered.

Sam visibly relaxed, she hadn't looked too far into the company when Lena mentioned it, just the basics, but this woman seemed to truly care for Lena, and she could use an ally on this side of her current chaos formula.

Ruby came out of Lena's office with an L Corp tablet and a sticky note for Kara, the server name, file names and passwords for all the data related to her treatment. Ruby got a hug and kiss and a credit card from Sam with orders not to spend a fortune, then she headed back downstairs.

"What a beautiful daughter you have Sam." Andrea complimented,

Sam puffed like a peacock. "Thank you!" She was smiling from cheek to cheek, Ruby was her pride and joy. She only hoped she could afford the amount of damage Ruby, Nia and Astra were about to do to her card.

Both women then entered Lena's office together. Lena was sitting at her desk, trying to concentrate on her computer. She looked up and realized she was completely outnumbered.

"Lena what are you doing?" Andrea asked. "You can take the day off, you need a break and I promise L Corp will still be standing tomorrow."

"Not to mention isn't today your first therapy session with Harley?" Sam asked.

"You two do realize that this is not fair?" Lena asked the two smiling women in front of her.

"Absolutely" they answered in unison. Then they smiled at each other.

"What time is your appointment? And where is it?" Andrea asked.

"3:30 at my condo," Lena answered, knowing what was coming next.

"I will be back at 2:00 to pick you up. Is that enough time to get a shower and get ready? Andrea asked smiling at Lena.

"That should be enough time," Lena answered.

Sam was looking at her phone, sending a text. "Good that gives us enough time to interview your new CFO."

Both Andrea and Lena looked up at that one, Lena asked "Who and why?"

"Quite simply Lena, you need a break, you are doing too much, you need to get back to the basics, back to your labs and most importantly, back to normal hours, no more 14 plus hours a days as for who, she is more than qualified and I have vetted her resume already, your interview should be quick and simple." Sam smiled.

"Who?" Lena asked again.

"Jessica Huang," Sam answered smirking.

"Jess? She wants to come back. Is she qualified?" Lena seemed to be excited at this prospect.

"More than me, she has an MBA in Accounting and a Bachelor's in Management, and she learned at the feet of a master," Sam said pointing at Lena. "She is currently working for working as a consultant in Gotham for Wayne Enterprises, so she can start immediately if necessary."

"Not to mention, she is someone you know and trusts to watch out for me." Lena smiled.

"That is a plus that is not on her resume," Sam answered. "Now let's get you and Andrea some breakfast, then you can come and work till lunchtime, will that leave you enough time to check on your project."

Lena grabbed her shoes, slid them on and headed out the door, behind her Sam and Andrea were doing a high five.

Downstairs, Lucy had arrived to watch over Kara and bring Astra some human clothes. Ruby brought in Kara's tablet. While Lucy and the girls were going over the day's plans, Kara logged in and realized that Lena and given her very limited access, 'Oh well, a little hacking wouldn't hurt', she thought to herself. She logged into the network, typed up a real quick cloaking program she had learned from Brainy and proceeded to jailbreak the tablet. Then she downloaded Netflix, then she linked the tablet to the monitor Lena was using to display her bloodwork on, logged in using Alex's account and made certain it couldn't be tracked. She downloaded her favorite music player and logged in so she could get her playlist.

"Aunt Kara," Ruby said, touching her shoulder. "Earth to Aunt Kara."

"What, oh Ruby, I'm sorry I was working on something" Kara apologized.

"No big deal Aunt Kara, we are getting ready to leave and didn't want you to worry," Ruby said.

"Thank you, Ruby, that means a lot to me," Kara spoke, giving Ruby a huge hug.

Nia came over for her hug, "Do you need anything Kara?" she asked.

"Some pajamas and can you ask Alex if I can have a new cell phone," Kara asked.

"I can do that, DEO issued?" Nia asked.

"No, tell her private carrier please?" Kara asked then hugged, Nia.

"Little One will you be safe?" Astra asked.

"Yes, Aunt Astra, Lucy is more than capable of taking care of me. She will make sure I stay safe." Kara smiled, she had known she missed her Astra, but she didn't realize how much until now. Astra kissed her niece on her forehead and headed out the door. "Love you, Aunt Astra."

Astra turned as she reached the door "And I love you, Little One."

As the door closed Lucy came over, Kara patted the bed, offering her a seat. "So, Kar, how are you doing? Really doing?' Lucy asked.

"I'm so weak I can't go to the bathroom by myself, my powers aren't going to return fully for 3-4 months, so to be honest, I'm pissed," Kara said.

Lucy smiled, everyone thought Kara never swore, but when they were around each other, Kara wouldn't hesitate to occasionally let a word slip, she had even taught Lucy a few Kryptonese swear words. Then she pulled two Mountain Dews out of her bag, an original for her and a Code Red for her favorite Kryptonian. "So, what are we up to doing today?"

"We have Netflix, Pandora or," Kara paused for effect "we can hack Lena's system for a little bit."

"I vote for hacking" Lucy smiled as she lifted her drink. "To being the little sisters."

"Little sisters." Kara smiled.

"So, what are we looking for?" Lucy asked.

"Anything related to my treatments, she gave me the names of the files, but I pulled them up and they seem incomplete," Kara said, not angry, just a bit confused, why share incomplete files.

"You want me to backseat hack, or are you going to give me access through my tablet?" Lucy asked as she pulled her tablet out of her bag.

Kara tapped three commands on her tablet and a code box showed up on Lucy's tablet, she entered her and Kara's usual code. "Remember Lucy, just files related to my treatment."

"Kara, I'm angry at Lena not you, I promise no peeking at anything else." Lucy smiled at her friend.

The two friends would spend the rest of the morning moving through Lena's servers, looking for the files related to the two master files Lena had given them.

Upstairs, Lena Luthor had finished breakfast and watching the two hackers sift through her files. She was impressed. "20 minutes Sam."

"Hmmm? 20 minutes?" Sam wondered absently.

"It took Kara 20 minutes to hack my security, install Netflix, Pandora and start running through my files on two different tablets," Lena said.

"Dammit, Kara, I told her not to Lena." Sam was a little aggravated.

"Don't be mad at her Sam, I did it on purpose." Lena laughed. "I gave her two incomplete files, I figured she would call Brainy, but she did this completely on her own. She was my best friend for three and a half years Sam. Did you know on Krypton she was the youngest person ever selected to join the Science Guild? Astra was bragging last night, this morning, whatever. I never realized it. Why hide how smart you are?" Lena asked, confused.

"Because people will underestimate you if they don't know how smart you are," Sam answered.

"As fast as she and Lucy are moving through my system, I have been underestimating both of them. They move like they have done this more than once, they are even double-checking each other's work, in less than 30 minutes they have found all but one of the missing files." Lena paused a moment. "And that is the last one."

Suddenly her computer and Sam's tablet locked up, the screens went blue and red, and a message scrolled across in gold. "Did we pass?"

Sam and Lena both leaned back and laughed.

There was a knock on Lena's office door and she and Sam sat up and wiped the tears out of their eyes, cleared their throats and welcomed the future CFO of L Corp, Jessica Huang. The gorgeous brunette walked in wearing a designer suit in navy, with matching shoes and a bag. She smiled at Lena and Sam as she handed each one a copy of her resume. Sam took one look at her's and laughed. In large bold letters, it asked, "Can you afford me?"

"Yes, I believe we can Jess, would you like to come to work for L Corp as CFO?" Lena asked.

"Yes Ms. Luthor and if you like I can start the day after tomorrow." Jess smiled. "I recently finished my contract with Wayne Enterprises."

"That would be wonderful, Jess, thank you so much."

"Now that we are on equal terms, Ms. Luthor. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay Jess, I am seeing a doctor to help with my issues, and I need some help around here," Lena answered. "No more Ms. Luthor, Jess. We've known each other for quite some time. Please, it's Lena. Besides, you make me feel so much older than I am."

"Where's Kara?" Jess asked innocently.

"That's part of all this Jess, I can't explain it right now," Lena answered.

"Is she okay?" Jess asked.

"She's getting there Jessica, she is. I'll have her give you a call okay?" Sam reassures her.

"Okay, Sam, I'm going to hold you to that," Jess said, looking Sam dead in the eye.

The three women would spend the rest of the morning going over financials and getting all of Jess' paperwork out of the way.

Downstairs in her room, Kara and Lucy were watching a movie on Netflix while Kara went over the data they had found. She giggled to herself that Lena of all people had tested her hacking skills, but now she had found not one, but four calculation errors in Lena's work. She was not looking forward to this confrontation.

"Lucy, can I borrow your phone?" she asked.

"Sure Kar, what's up?" Lucy was concerned, Kara's nerves were acting up, which meant she was worried.

"I found four errors in Lena's work. They aren't major, and it looks like she was working with an incomplete sample, but still, the thought of confronting her with an error in her own work, I don't know if I can Lucy." Kara admitted.

"I'm right here Kar, you know I will always stand by you, just like you did with me," Lucy said gently as she handed her phone to Kara.

Kara: 'Sam it's Kara'

Sam: 'Kara, are you okay?'

Kara: 'I found a few errors in Lena's calculations'

Sam: 'How many?'

Kara: 'Four, but her initial sample was incomplete'

Sam: 'You sure Kara?'

Kara: 'I did the calculations four times, and Lucy checked my work.'

Sam: 'We'll be down before lunch, okay?'

Kara: 'You're coming too, right?'

Sam: 'Always Kara, take a deep breath, we will be down in just a little while okay.'

Kara: 'Okay :)"

Sam spent the next 45 minutes rearranging the location for Kara's press conference and making sure all of Jess' paperwork was in order, but her mind was racing, not because she was worried about Kara, after last night, she was pretty sure Kara would be able to handle herself as long as someone was in the room that she trusted. Lena on the other hand, when you questioned her science, tended to fall down a rabbit hole.

Finally, it was time to head to the lab, Jess was gone, headed to Gotham to get her things and Sam and Lena were on their way down, She warned Lena that Kara had found some errors, and Lena took it in stride, but Sam had her doubts, Lena Luthor took nothing in stride.

They knocked on the door, and Lucy jumped up and held Kara's hand. Kara took a deep breath, and Sam and Lena entered. Her bad hand started to shake, and she reached for the sheet, trying to get it to stay still. Lena stopped, she could see the fear in Kara's eyes, but she also knew that Kara was working to control it so that she could live her life again. "Kara, I know you are scared, can you show me what you see, what you saw?"

Lucy released Kara's hand long enough to send the calculations to the larger screen. Lena approached and looked closely. She saw her own notes, and there were Kara's right beside them. "Where did you find the error Kara, my calculation is correct, the math is right," Lena asked, confused.

Kara took a deep breath and called up another screen. "It wasn't your formula Lena, it was the initial sample, it was either measured incorrectly or it was labeled wrong."

"Who the bloody hell?" Lena yelled.

Kara cringed, shrinking as Lena raised her voice.

"Lena" Lucy whispered harshly.

"Oh, Kara, I'm sorry" Lena whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Kara took a breath, and reached out to Sam "Can you help me, please?"

Sam was at her side, helping her off the bed and offering her strength to help Kara move across the room. Kara stood as tall as her weak body would allow, and pointed to the sample, the initials at the bottom. E.T., Eve Tessmacher.

"You must have been on the verge of a breakthrough Lena; this was done on purpose. I'm sorry but this is what caused a few of your trials to fail." Kara's breathing was getting short, her nerves were taking over even with Sam standing right there, "Lena I'm sorry."

Lena turned and looked into those fearful eyes, Kara flinched, and grasped tighter at Sam's hand, but she refused to look away. "Kara, this is not your fault, you did nothing wrong. Do you understand, nothing?"  
Kara nodded, shaking. "If you change the calculations, the potency of the vaccine will increase by 45% and should benefit your cancer trials and your new antibiotic trials. It would also increase the K vaccine by 56% which could help my cousin and mother."

"But not you?" Lena asked.

"No, my body is already processing the vaccine, an extra dose would do me no good at all." Kara smiled weakly.

"I'm sorry Kara" Lena whispered.

"Lena, this was not your fault, not at all, you save me, you brought back Astra, your work is amazing, it is not your fault what Eve did, as usual, you accomplished what others thought was impossible," Kara said. "Once again thank you, Lena." Then she turned and leaning on Sam she made her way back to bed. Sam and Lucy tucked her back in. "Did me and Lucy pass Lena, did we pass the hacking test?"

"Yes Kara, and if I hadn't known what to look for, I never would have been able to track you." Lena smiled, proud of the woman she had once called her best friend.

Lena completed her other test, Kara was still on track, but she recommended some physical therapy for the weakness and took a quick look at her watch. "Sam, we have to go, Andrea will be here in an hour, and we still need lunch."

Sam looked at Kara who was asleep. "Lucy, tell her I will see her before I go back to the Condo okay."

Lucy smiled, "I'll let her know."

"Alex will be here around 5:30 for the night shift, you want to ride back to the condo with me?" Sam asked.

"Sounds good to me, just going to sit and watch Netflix for a little while, can you send me down something for lunch?" Lucy asked.

"I gotcha," Sam smiled.

She got Lena upstairs and fed, then quickly brought Kara and Lucy some food. Then rushed back upstairs to make sure Lena and Andrea got off okay.

"Andrea here is the key to her Condo, her tea is in the cabinet. Harley and Pamela may have Helena with them." Sam was babbling, she was nervous for Lena.

Andrea grasped Sam's shoulders and looked her in the eyes "Sam, relax. I've done therapy okay; Lena will be fine."

"Sorry Andrea, I'm just worried about Lena," Sam said.

"Sam it's okay, we are a team now, and we will take care of her," Andrea reassured. "Lena, are you ready to go?"

"I'm ready," Lena answered. She hugged Sam.

"You'll be fine Lena" as Sam released her.

"Let's go meet Harley."


	19. Therapy and History

Andrea got Lena home, they hadn't spoken in the car on the way over from L Corp and Andrea could sense how nervous Lena was on the way to the elevator. "Lena this could be good for you. You need to try and relax."

"That is so easy to say, Andi, except I don't normally talk about my problems. I just stick them in another box." Lena said, brooding.

Andrea sighed heavily, even though Lena used her boarding school nickname. "Lena, where's Kara?" This turned out to be the wrong question to ask in Lena's current state.

"She can't support me in this, I'm not even sure she would want to." Lena snapped.

Andrea bit her tongue, that was a sore spot. So, whatever has made Lena decide, she needed help, had something to do with Kara. Lena stood, rigidly staring at the door, willing the elevator to go faster. She felt guilty for snapping, but right now, Andrea couldn't know what she had done to Kara, because then she would have to give up Kara's secret, and she couldn't do that.

The door to the elevator and Lena walked towards her condo's door with Andrea trailing behind. Lena unlocked the door and headed immediately for her bedroom, while Andrea watched her with a sad look on her face. Andrea then headed to the kitchen and set up Lena's coffee machine and her kettle, checking the cabinets and pulled down several mugs, creamer and sugar for coffee, lemon, and honey for the tea. She searched until she found Lena's favorite white ginger tea, one that they had discovered together at the little coffee shop around the corner from their school. The memory came quickly, and she couldn't help but smile.

***They were walking hand and hand, leaning into one another, trying to stay warm, and failing miserably. They noticed the coffee shop and decided, a cup of coffee would be a great way to spend a few minutes before heading down to the bookstore in town. As they walked in, Lena lit up like a child at Christmas, "Andi, they have White Ginger tea." Lena had said.

"Well order a cup, I'm having coffee." Andrea had said.

"Will you try it, for me?" Lena asked, a small pout on her face.

"Sure, why not, anything for you Lena K," Andrea answered.

Lena ordered two cups and they sat down at the bar by the window. "So, what do you think?" Lena asked.

"It's good" Andrea answered, "But next time can I get sugar instead of honey."

Lena smiled and kissed her on the cheek, leaned up against her and they sat there and watched the snow starting to fall outside. ***

Andrea smiled at the memory, and then set out sugar cubes so that she could sweeten her tea. Then she made a glass of water and headed out to the balcony to wait on Lena. Fifteen minutes later, she heard the door slide open and Lena stepped out onto the balcony.

"Andi?" Lena whispered.

"Hey Lena K, you ready?"

"Andi, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped, you are being a friend, and I need one right now," Lena said, tears forming in her eyes.

"Lena?" Andrea was worried, this was the second time in less than 24 hours that she had seen Lena crying.

"Andi, I don't want to be like Lex, I want to get better, I want to be a better person." Lena was crying now.

Andrea stood up and walked over to her friend. "Lena, I'm here for you, and I will continue to be here for you as long as you want me to be."

Lena leaned into Andrea and cried softly for a few minutes. Finally, she finished, "Thank you, Andi." Then she pulled back.

Andrea allowed her to pull away and followed her back inside. She headed into the kitchen and put the kettle on to boil and started the coffee maker.

At exactly 3:30, they heard a knock at the door.

Andrea answered the door, and there stood three women. All three stopped, they had expected Lena, not Andrea. Helena looked and blinked, "Andrea?"

"Helena? Hi honey, I heard about you and your mom, I'm so sorry. Is your father in town?" Andrea answered.

"No, he, he isn't himself right now," Helena answered sadly. "I'm staying with Pamela and Harley right now."

Harley was shocked but recovered quickly. "You're Andrea, Andrea Rojas, CEO of Obsidian North, how did you know Selina?"

"She was on the board of Obsidian North, when the company was floundering, she invested a small amount of her fortune into the company, helped us stay afloat. She acted a little like a mentor to me and taught me a good deal about standing up for myself in business." Andrea answered.

"And Helena, how do you know her?" Pamela asked.

"Selina brought her on several visits to our Metropolis offices, and we had lunch in Gotham, Helena was almost always involved." Andrea smiled.

Helena smiled at the memory "Can we stay for a little while Pam, so Andrea and I can talk."

Pamela smiled "Of course." She was so pleased that Helena would open up to someone else.

Andrea shook her head, "I'm sorry, Dr. Quinzel, you are here for Lena, I'm her friend. I've already set up the study for your session, and there is coffee and tea in the kitchen. As long as it's okay with you, I will be in the living room or on the balcony catching up with Helena.

"That is more than acceptable Andrea, please call me Harley and thank you for getting everything set for Lena and myself." Harley smiled.

Lena was waiting patiently in the Living Room, but when Harley walked in the nerves started. Harley took one look at her and smiled. "Lena dear, will you please relax, I don't bite," Harley said. Pam snickered then covered her mouth and pretended to cough. "My patients." Harley amended.

Lena laughed, and then took a deep breath to help herself relax. Then she and Harley disappeared to make themselves something to drink. They reappeared minutes later and headed to the study.

Andrea, Pamela, and Helena settled in the Living Room and started to talk.

In the study, Lena was looking around "Do I sit or lie down, I've never done this before." She asked.

"How would you be most comfortable?" Harley asked. Lena sat on her couch, and Harley sat down in a very comfortable leather chair across from her.

"So, is this the part where you ask me all sorts of questions and I just kind of start talking about everything?" Lena asked sarcastically.

"Lena, please accept that I am here to help, your sarcasm is a deflection, while you avoid your problems. I do ask that you try to take this a bit more seriously please." Harley asked calmly.

Lena sighed, then she apologized. "Sorry, Harley."

"It's okay Lena, this is quite normal. Now I would like to discuss your first two letters in this session, may I see them?" Harley asked.

"They are behind you on the desk," Lena answered.

Harley picked them up, and Lena was so thankful her first two letters had been written without a mention of Supergirl. Harley read over the letters, then read them one more time. She took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry about the loss of your mom Lena, have you ever considered looking into her history, more?"

"Why would I do that? She left me over twenty years ago. What good would finding anything out about her do me now."

"Well, you do feel as if you are forgetting her and this would be a way to reconnect. A way to keep her memories alive Lena. You feel as if she betrayed you, but I think there is more to it than that." Harley said, trying to get Lena to reach a conclusion that she had reached.

"She died because of me, I wasn't strong enough to save her, I failed her, I let her drown and did nothing. It's my fault she is dead." Lena was crying.

"How Is it your fault Lena, what could you have done?" Harley asked.

"I could have saved her; I could have gone for help. I just stood there, watching, waiting for her to come back to me. She left me, she left me alone, my whole world disappeared in a splash and I was alone." Lena rested her face into her hands. She couldn't remember if her mother had called for help, or if she tried to swim back to shore, all she remember was the feeling of loneliness, even at four years old. Then Lena did something she hadn't done in all the years since her mother died, she mourned, truly mourned her loss. She sat and cried and screamed, it was so unfair, her mother hadn't betrayed her, it had been an accident, an accident that had left a young girl alone, an orphan in a world she didn't understand. She remembered then, Kara was an orphan, she had witnessed her whole world end, and she had been old enough to understand what had happened at the time. But where Lena had grabbed the pain and relished in it, turning every slight into a form of betrayal, Kara had turned it into a sense of hope, using the bad, to become a beacon of good. She mourned her mother and she mourned the most special friendship she had ever had. Finally, she exhausted all her tears.

"Now this will sound like a horrible question, but do you feel better?" Harley asked.

Lena looked at Harley, and giggled, "A little?" She said. Then both women sat and laughed together for a few minutes.

"Lena, you were four years old, and you reacted just as any child would have in that situation, there is never a right or wrong answer in any accident, but you didn't do anything wrong, it was a terrible accident, that you have lived all of your life blaming yourself for. You turned those feelings into a sense of betrayal, and you need to work on accepting your mother's death as an accident, that's all, people die Lena, and there was nothing you could have done," Harley stated.

"But Harley, why betrayal?" Lena asked softly. "Why did I turn it into a betrayal?"

"Because Lena, a mother's love is a promise, a promise to love, to be there, to protect, always to protect and care for you. And when she died, you saw that as a broken promise, you trusted her to keep her promise and that trust was broken." Harley answered softly. Once again, the parallels of her relationship to Kara threatened to spill out. She wasn't angry that Kara hadn't told her the secret, she was hurt and scared because her trust was broken.

"But Lena you must understand, your mother didn't leave you on purpose, she did not break your trust, not intentionally, the way you seem set on remembering her. She broke your trust because of a situation neither of you could control." Harley explained softly.

"So how do I reconcile my feelings of betrayal versus an accident I couldn't control?" Lena asked.

"That is something you must decide, but based upon what I know about you, there have to be recorded somewhere, your family doesn't strike me as the type to not know everything about a situation, including your adoption and your birth mother." Harley answered, "You need closure Lena and you need to forgive yourself."

"That won't be easy Harley, do you know how much paperwork there is in my family archive?" Lena asked.

"No Lena I don't, but I'm sure you have people, someone you trust who could help you?"

"Do you think this would help?" Lena asked, the doubt in her voice obvious.

"I do Lena, I think it would help you a great deal." Harley smiled.

Lena did know a couple of hackers who may have the skillset to research the Luthor archives and find the information she needed. But how do you ask the friend you betrayed and the one woman in the world who may hate her as much as Alex Danvers, to do her a favor?

"Or you could ask Lillian," Harley said.

"No way Harley, no." Lena snapped "That woman is cancer, she infects everything she touches."

"You hate her that much?" Harley asked.

"She has tried to kill me and manipulate me so many times, I've lost count. She has threatened my friends and family, belittled me, she criticized everything I did growing up. I couldn't have friends she didn't approve of; I never could earn her approval. Even if I asked her for help, she would probably lie to me." Lena stated.

"Lena, that didn't answer my question." Harley replied, "Take a moment."

"That woman, she never believed in me, never gave me a chance. Nothing I ever did was good enough for her, everything was always about Lex. No matter how well I did in school, she would always find a fault. She, she never loved me, she never cared about me. She ran off my first girlfriend and I think she caused Mercy to leave. What was so wrong with me, that she couldn't love me, it wasn't my fault who my mother was, and I didn't even know Lionel was my real father until many years later." Lena was crying, again.

"Do you think Lillian knew? Did she suspect that he had brought his daughter into the family?" Harley asked.

"I don't know, maybe," Lena answered.

"Perhaps this was her response to betrayal," Harley said calmly. "She treated you badly because you were a physical representation of what Lionel had done to their marriage."

"She turned me into this, this mess. I began to box my emotions, I stopped making friends, I kept people at a distance. Every Time, someone got close, I would find a reason to hate them. If I got close, they would just betray me. Lex, Mercy, Andi, Kara anyone who would keep a secret, it was because I didn't want to trust them, I was looking so hard for the signs of betrayal, I didn't have time to see anything else. Lex loved me, in his own way, until he became so obsessed with Aliens. Mercy tried so hard to help me believe in myself, then she left. Andi was trying to save her family and Kara loved me. I couldn't bring myself to see any good in any of them, I was always waiting for them to stop caring to twist whatever they would say or do so that when they finally left, I could just hold on to the anger, just like Lillian taught me." Lena cried.

"Lena, the four people that you mentioned, what is your common thread to all of them?" Harley whispered.

"They, they all loved me in their own way. They all tried to protect me from myself and others. Each one cared for me in their own way, and I cared for them as well, but I never gave their feelings a thought, it was always how I felt. And once they left my life, I just locked those feelings away and hung on to the anger, nothing else."

"So we need to get through that anger Lena, you need to learn to let it go, remember the good things from each relationship you find important, find a moment that defined their love, it will help you heal, help make you whole again," Harley explained. "I understand how you feel about Lillian, but you need to forgive her as well, not for her Lena, but for you."

Lena couldn't do anything but sit and cry. Harley then moved to the couch, this part of her treatment was normally criticized by her peers, but she found that physical touch, be it a hand or a hug was truly a part of the healing process, so she wrapped Lena in her arms and let her cry.

Meanwhile, back in the recovery room at L Corp, Alex had arrived to stay with her sister overnight. She opened the door to the room to find Kara and Lucy playing something on their tablets, from the way they were leaning, she would bet they were probably playing some version of Mario Kart, on one of the emulator apps Kara had written. Then she heard Lucy brag, "Ha, I win Kara."

"1 out of 4 isn't too bad Lucy." Kara laughed back.

Lucy stuck her tongue out at Kara and smiled. "This was fun today; we haven't done this enough lately Kara. Now that I am back in National City, we have to start hanging out more, please?"

"Well, we do have a wedding to plan." Kara smiled, she hadn't realized how much she missed Lucy, it was like she had just disappeared off the planet. Kara was happy she was back, and she promised herself to do everything she could to make Lucy's wedding day as special as Lucy herself was.

"Kar, what ya thinking about so hard?" Lucy asked.

"Hmm, oh nothing," Kara answered.

"Crinkle Kara.", Lucy laughed.

"Oh Damn. I was thinking about how much I have missed you. And before you say anything, it's my fault too, we both own phones and tablets, we let life get in the way of living Lucy." Kara smiled.

"You're right Kar, so let's not do it again, after all, we are the Little Sisters." Lucy laughed.

"To the Little Sisters." Kara laughed. Then she noticed Alex standing in the door. "Alex, how long have you been there?"

"Long enough." She smiled. Kara was right, the whole group had let life get in the way, and unfortunately, it took Kara being in danger to bring them back together. "I brought PJ's, a new phone and Potstickers and Egg Drop Soup."

"Oh, thank Rao, I don't have to wear this gown. Can you two help me to the bathroom, so I can get changed? Please." Kara cringed. Then she looked at the pajamas, "Unicorns Alex, really?"

Alex and Lucy helped her off the bed after they stopped laughing, and she moved slowly to the bathroom. "Don't close the door all the way, Alex." She begged.

"Don't worry, I won't little sister." While Kara changed Alex looked to Lucy. "How did she do today?"

"Really well, we went over her treatment, that was hilarious, Lena sent her access to an incomplete file, and Kara and I hacked her system until we found the related files. Of course, halfway through, Kara realized that Lena was testing us, so after we found the last file, she sent them this…" Lucy turned her table around showing Alex the graphic Kara had sent.

Alex snorted through her nose. "That looks like something Kara would do."

"Yeah people always underestimate her, but the best part is Kara noticed that the calculations didn't match this initial batch and she called Lena out on it. She figured out it was the initial sample, Eve played with the numbers, Kara is the only person who could have caught it, and Sam and I stood with her the whole time. She kept her head up and didn't give in to her fear at all." Lucy said proudly.

"Really?" Alex was amazed.

"Yes Alex, you would have been proud." Lucy smiled.

"I'm coming out, so you two can stop talking about me," Kara called out.

"How do you know we are talking about you?" Alex asked?

"Just because I don't have my powers doesn't mean I am deaf." Kara laughed and you guys aren't that quiet. "Thank you for the compliments you two."

Then she took a deep breath and headed for her bed, but between putting on her pajamas and laughing she was exhausted. "Alex, I need help. Please."

Alex was by her side in an instant. Lucy got on the other side and they Kara back to her bed. As they were getting her tucked in, Sam arrived. "Hey everyone, how are the hack sisters doing?"

"Hack sisters?" Alex looked perplexed.

"Their new nickname. They set a record for hacking the L Corp server." Sam laughed. "How are you feeling Kara."

"Tired, but it's a long trip to the bathroom and back." She giggled a bit, which made the other three women feel better. They all knew she hated this feeling of helplessness, but at least she was in relatively good humor about it.

Sam hugged Kara and looked to Lucy. "Are you heading back with me?"

"Yep, I believe tonight is a Danvers sister night." Lucy laughed.

Lucy turned and hugged Kara "Thank you, Kara, I had a blast today. We have to do this more often, okay sweetie?"

Kara hugged Lucy back "Yes please," she whispered into her friend's ear, "I would like that a lot. Thank you for being here today, I needed this."

Lucy tried to hide the tears as Sam stepped up to Kara. "I will see you, tomorrow sweetheart, I think Ruby and Nia are going to be here all day, can you help her with her math and science? And no hacking lessons." Sam asked.

Kara wouldn't look her in the eyes as she answered "Okay."

"Kara? You've been teaching her how to hack, haven't you?" Sam asked, a small smirk forming on her face.

"Not hacking really, just coding," Kara said, still not looking Sam in the eyes. "She's really good Sam, not quite as good as Lucy but she's getting there and it's our chance to bond when we hang out."

Sam smiled, that explained why Ruby was having zero issues in her programming class this year. "Nothing illegal, please?"

"Scouts honor." Then Kara winked at her, and Sam's heart felt like it skipped a beat. She knew Kara wasn't flirting, but it felt good to just be kidding around and enjoying each other's company. For Kara it was a chance to reconnect with her friend, someone who had been there for her when Lena and Alex were busy, not to mention the chance to needle her just a bit about her ability to spoil Ruby. And after all the bad of the last week, seeing Sam smile was worth it.

Sam got one more quick hug from Kara then interrupted Alex and Lucy talking. "We are going to head out, you ladies enjoy your night." Then a quick hug to Alex and her and Lucy headed out the door.

Alex walked over to where Kara was patting the bed. She hopped up beside her sister and pulled out two bottles of water and their food. Kara sipped her soup and ate a few potstickers. "Kar, you need to try to eat a little more. It will help you heal."

Kara took a deep breath, and she bit her lower lip, then she started to tremble. "Alex?"

Alex looked up from her soup and noticed how nervous Kara was, "Kara what's wrong?"

"You're going to be mad Alex. What I am about to tell you is going to upset you," Kara said, with her head down.

"Kara, what's wrong?" Alex was getting worried.

"While I, when I was trapped in the fortress, I stopped," she paused, trying to find her words," I stopped eating, I just curled up in the cage and hoped that the Kryptonite in the walls would just kill me. I gave up Alex. I was so scared and alone, and I didn't think anyone was going to come to get me. Instead of trying, I just gave up."

Alex looked at Kara, she didn't see Supergirl, of course, she never did, but now she saw the same scared 13-year-old little girl that had come to them, the one she had picked on, had been angry with and had generally treated like crap. "Kara."

"I know, some hero huh?" The tears were forming in her eyes again "I'm sure you are mad, but I had to let somebody know why I haven't been eating. I didn't think there would be any way-out Alex, I didn't think about blood poisoning or a loss of powers, I just thought I would be there until Rao came to collect me."

Alex was crying now; her sister had lost hope. She took the food and set it on the rolling table and wrapped her arms around Kara.

"I'm so sorry Alex, I lost faith. I even stopped praying to Rao, I felt so alone, I couldn't see the sun, I thought myself undeserving of his light, that he was abandoning me, that somehow, what I had done to Lena, breaking her trust, the Fortress was my penance, my chance to make up for all the mistakes I had made, for all the people I had failed."

Alex knew there were no words that she could say that would make her sister feel better, all she could do was support her, help her heal, and most of all, be her sister, not her protector, not her DEO liaison, not anything more than a friend and family. She felt Kara pull out of her arms, tears still streaking her cheeks. Kara looked Alex in the eyes looking for disappointment or anger, but all she could see was love.

"Kara Danvers, you have been a sister, a friend, a rock and a hero to me throughout all our years together. You have seen more in your life than any young woman should be expected to, and you have taken all that pain and turned it into something good. You have become a symbol of hope for every person in National City, alien or otherwise. Kara, you have become a symbol of hope for this entire world. Clark may represent Truth and Justice, but you inspire people to be better than they believe they can be, with or without your powers Kara, you are Supergirl." Alex cried. "And somehow, I forgot all that, I will always try to protect you Kara, but I stopped trusting your judgment, I thought I was smarter than you. If I had let you tell Lena when you first asked, instead of blocking you or putting doubts in your head, maybe we wouldn't be where we are now. We all failed you, Kara, you didn't fail us, do you understand. But it won't happen again baby sister, it will never happen again."

At that point, both sisters felt a shift, instead of carrying their burdens alone, they were once again carrying them together, the Danvers sisters against the world. This time they weren't alone though, their whole weird family was right there with them.

They sat there for a while, crying and holding each other until Kara heard the soft sound of Alex's snoring. "Rao, light of Krypton, the god of our creation, thank you for the family you have granted me here on Earth, no one more than this woman, the woman I call sister, who has stood by my side for all these years. Forgive me for my loss of faith and grant me your strength to continue." She paused.

"In Rao's name, we pray." Alex finished. She smiled at Kara and saw the smile she had missed so much on her sister's face.

Alex stretched and reached for the food, but this time Kara beat her to it, popping two potstickers in her mouth as quickly as she could open the bag. Alex just smiled and shook her head. She decided she would check the computer readouts later, right now she just wanted to enjoy her time with her sister. "So, we got Netflix down here?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, and I see you started season three of the Crown without me?" Kara laughed.

Alex was very grateful at that moment that her sister didn't currently have her heat vision, the Crown was their show, and they weren't supposed to get ahead of the other.

"I'll forgive you this time, but no spoilers." Kara smiled, and Alex knew, she just knew everything would be okay.

Later that night at the condo, as Alex and Kara were binging on the Crown, Sam was sitting out on the balcony, thinking about Lena and Kara. Both of them seemed to be doing a little better and now she had a group on both sides. She had relocated the press conference to L Corp, so they didn't have to transport Kara anywhere. The only thing she was worried about was Kara, she would be alone on that walk across the stage. 'Oh well. I'll talk to Lena about that problem tomorrow.' Then, of course, there was the credit card usage from the day, which included outfits for Astra and Alura, but also Ruby and Nia.

She stood up to stretch and noticed Alura, Astra, and Eliza heading her way with a bottle of wine and four glasses. She looked into the Living room and noticed J'onn, Brainy, Nia, and Ruby playing a video game in the living room, so she figured she was being set up. She pulled up a small table and four chairs and waited for the three women to join her.

"To what do I owe the honor?" Sam asked as the three women joined her.

"Astra told me that they determined which house on Krypton you belong to. We thought you might have questions." Alura answered.

"Does it, will it affect any chance of a relationship with Kara?" Sam asked, a bit concerned.

"No Samantha it does not, only members of the same house are not allowed to pursue one another."

"Didn't Superman fight a Zod once?" Sam asked, trying to remember.

Eliza answered this question, "Yes, about 5 years before Kara landed, he battled Superman in Metropolis, he was a madman, and had a problem with Jor-El, Clark's Kryptonian father.

"Dru-Zod?" Astra asked. "He was condemned to the Phantom Zone by Jor-El for crimes against the Kryptonian council."

"Yes, Dru-Zod, of the Kryptonian Military." Said Superman as he landed heavily on the balcony.

"Hello, Kal-El," Alura said, "Lois and Jon are in the middle bedroom."

"Alura, Eliza, Samantha." Kal greeted each in turn, then stood shocked as Astra turned to greet him.

"Hello, Kal-El, no greeting for your Aunt?" Astra smiled.

"Astra, but you, you're?" Kal stuttered.

"Dead?" Astra smiled again. "I'm afraid that is a rather long story, but needless to say, I am back."

"I need to speak to Sam." He said.

"Yes?" Sam was suddenly very nervous.

Kal walked over and held out his hand, "I owe you a huge apology Sam, I have been an ass and incredibly hardheaded over your involvement with Kara. I read the records she left in the fortress, and now I think I understand a bit more about the situation. Well, what I am trying to say is that I fully support you and your friendship with my cousin, and if I came across as an ass, I am sorry."

"Apology accepted," Sam said as she accepted the outstretched hand. Kal squeezed just a bit, not as a gesture of anger, but to make sure this woman was capable of protecting his cousin. Sam took the challenge and began to squeeze back, Kal grimaced, realizing that this woman's strength was quite possibly greater than his own. Sam smiled and released Kal's hand. He stood rubbing it, nodded and then excused himself to go and see Lois.

After Kal let himself in, Sam grabbed a glass of wine and drank it as quickly as possible. "So that was weird." She said.

Eliza, Alura, and Astra sat staring at Sam and then started laughing. Sam looked at them, and then started giggling. "I think I just showed up Superman."

"Yep." Was all Eliza could get out before she started laughing again. Sam followed quickly and they all laughed for a few minutes.

They finally stopped laughing and Astra spoke up. "Just because Dru-Zod was evil Samantha does not mean that all members of the house are, all the houses have had members who did not follow the principles of their respective house. Remember who you are and why you were chosen as Kara's protector, follow the principles of your house and pass them on to your youngling. May Rao grant your house the honor it deserves." Then Astra looked to Alura, as her sister handed Sam a small emblem, the symbol of her house, a diamond containing the Kryptonian letter Z, in her house colors of Black, Silver, and Gold. Holding the Glyph, she smiled realizing this was something else that could connect herself and Kara.

Alura spoke next "My you and Ruby bring honor to your House." Then she hugged Sam tightly welcoming her as a Kryptonian.

Eliza was next, hugging Sam and congratulating her.

Then Astra stepped forward and she and Sam grasped forearms. "Bring honor to your house Warrior and defend your charges well."

"Thank you general." Sam smiled.

Suddenly she was surrounded by all her family including Ruby who just wanted to see the symbol of their house. Everyone congratulated her and Ruby. Then Ruby and Nia snuck away and started to plan for Ruby's first appearance as Supergirl.

"I am not wearing black," Ruby said.


	20. Ruby

Nia was up all night, while she loved the idea of having Ruby out there with her as a new Supergirl, seeing what was happening with Kara scared her. Ruby was so enthusiastic, but she had no experience at all in using her powers the way Kara did. Nia was happy to have someone that looked up to her, she didn't want to break Ruby's heart, not like her older sister had done to her so many times. She pads into the kitchen and runs the coffee maker, makes a cup, grabs a couple of donuts and heads out to the balcony, where she runs into Sam.

"Oh, hey Sam, sorry I didn't mean to interrupt," Nia says, stumbling over her words.

"You're not interrupting Nia, but something must be on your mind if you're up this early, or late?" Sam asked.

"It's Ruby" She answered, then paused "She wants to take Kara's place as Supergirl."

"Yes, I know, why is that on your mind? I thought you would be excited to have a partner." Sam asked, hoping she knew the answer.

"I am, I was, I don't want Ruby mad at me, but she isn't ready, she needs more training, more control," Nia said. "When I was younger, even today, my sister and I can't agree on anything, and with Nia, I don't want to spoil what we have."

"Nia, I am going to tell her no, I'm sure Kara would say the same thing you are, you have been doing this for about a year and a half now if you don't think she is ready, then she isn't. Just be honest with her, it's going to hurt her feelings, but in the long run, it's what is best for her."

"Yes, ma'am." Nia agreed "You mind if I sit out here with you for a bit?"

"Not at all Nia." Sam smiled.

Ruby woke up a few hours later, she saw her mom and Nia out on the balcony, so she made herself a glass of juice and grabbed an apple and headed out. "Hey mom, hey Nia."

"Hey baby, how'd you sleep?" Sam asked.

"Good," Ruby answered, slightly suspicious.

"Ruby, I need to say something and it's going to make you mad," Nia spoke up.

"What is it?" Ruby asked, a little harder than she meant to, but she had a feeling she knew what this was about.

"I know you want to be like Kara, I know you think you are ready, but I don't, and I didn't want to say anything because I have a really bad relationship with my sister and I don't want to mess up our friendship," Nia said rapidly, afraid she wouldn't be able to finish before Ruby got angry.

"But, I am ready, I can do everything that Aunt Kara can do!" Ruby yelled. "Why even bother helping me if you are just going to turn on me?"

"I'm not turning on you Ruby. I'm worried you might get hurt." Nia said, tears forming in her eyes.

"I can't get hurt, I'm invulnerable." Ruby snapped again.

"So is Kara, and look at what happened to her." Nia cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Do you really want to do that to your mom?"

Before Sam could stop Ruby from saying something she would regret the words tumbled from Ruby's mouth "Go away Nia, I don't want you here right now."

Nia's tears continued to flow as she stood to leave, Sam reached out to stop her, "Nia?"

"No Sam it's okay, I'm going to head into work today. Thank you for letting us get this out without interrupting. Tell Kara I'll see her later, please." Nia spoke softly, then turned and walked into the condo.

"Satisfied young lady." Sam snapped.

"Mom, I'm ready." Ruby snapped back.

"No, you're not, period." Sam said, "Get dressed and you better behave while you're visiting Kara."

Sam was in the study getting dressed when she got a text from Alex.

Alex: 'Hey Sam.'

Sam: 'What's going on?'

Alex: 'Kelly's getting ready, can you bring her?'

Sam: 'Sure, anything else?'

Alex: 'Bring donuts'

Sam: 'Crullers?'

Alex: 'Anything, she hasn't been eating since the first week trapped in at the fortress.'

Sam: 'What?'

Alex: 'Yeah, so we've got to try something. Ruby and Nia coming?'

Sam: 'Ruby yes, Nia no. we'll explain when we get there.'

Alex: 'Okay?'

Sam: 'Be there in about 30.'

Alex: 'K, Thank you.'

Sam got off the phone with Alex and went into the kitchen, Kelly was waiting for her, already dressed, with a worried look on her face. "Sam, about how many calories a day do you eat?"

"Uhm, probably more than I should, but I seem to burn it off pretty quickly," Sam answered, she hadn't thought about it, but she almost always had a snack in her hands, ever since her powers started to flare her appetite had increased. Ruby was up to a whole pizza when they ate out, and it seemed like she shopped for groceries a lot more often. "I haven't really kept track. Is this about Kara?"

"Yeah, I'm sure Alex told you about the eating thing," Kelly answered, concerned about Kara. "We need to get her eating again."

"Kara told me once that she consumes about 15,000 to 20,000 calories per day." Sam volunteered. Then it hit her, how much food she and Ruby could consume between them to maintain their levels.

"Damn." Was all Kelly could say.

Thirty minutes later they were entering Kara's room, having met Lena in the elevator. Kara was still asleep, but Alex was up checking the readouts on the computers, everything was progressing as Lena said it would. The kryptonite was clearing from her system, and in about 3-4 more days and she would be clean, but now there was the problem of Kara not eating. She turned as she heard the door open. She looked and there was Kelly, Sam, and Lena. She took a deep breath, no matter how much Lena was doing for Kara, she still couldn't control the anger when she saw the CEO.

Lena swallowed, she could feel the anger rolling off of Alex in waves. Kelly moves towards Alex, putting her hand on her girlfriends. Alex starts to relax, takes a breath, and leaned in for a kiss, which caused Kelly to smile and deliver with a wink. "Hey, honey." Alex smiles.

"Hey, love." Kelly smiles back. "How's Kara?"

"She slept good, physically she's exhausted, emotionally she's a little better, between the fear of Lena, the guilt she feels and the loss of her powers, even temporarily, I hope that talking to you will help," Alex answered.

"I hope I can help." Kelly frowns, she still feels like she is in over her head.

"You got this honey." Alex smiles.

Sam and Ruby approached Kara, who smiled and stretched. "Good morning Kara, you sleep okay?" Sam asked, wondering how this woman can look this amazing as she wakes up. "We brought donuts."

Kara scrunches her nose, and her crinkle appears. She looks over at Alex, frowning. "You told them didn't you?" She asked, hanging her head in shame.

"Kara, I didn't do it to shame you, you aren't going to get better if you don't eat." Alex pleaded.

"What do you mean, if she doesn't eat?" Lena asked.

Alex and Sam saw Kara take a breath, release it and then thankfully, Ruby stepped in and gripped Kara's good hand. "I haven't been eating. I stopped eating while I was at the fortress." Kara spoke, almost whispering at the admission. "I haven't really been eating a lot since I got back."

Lena turned to face the computer, and hide the tears that started to form. Kelly stepped up to Kara and spoke "Kara, we are not judging you, we are here to help. We have to work together to get your appetite back to where it was. So we are going to ask your specialist here her opinion on calorie intake and how to help get your appetite back." She cut a look at Alex, Lena was recovering as well, and guilt over Kara's appetite wasn't going to help, and neither would Alex's attitude.

Lena took a breath, thankful for Kelly at this particular moment, she wiped her eyes and turned, noticing that Kara didn't cringe this time. "If she hasn't eaten correctly, it will affect her recovery, but we can't increase her appetite back to what it was before this started." Then she continued. "I am going to recommend 10 to 15 minutes of physical activity 3 times a day, for at least the next 4 days and perhaps some time in actual sunshine instead of artificial, you can use my office to maintain privacy. Let's see if that increases her appetite."

"How are we going to do physical activity?" Kelly asked.

"A bike, I have one in my office, if Sam doesn't mind bringing it down," Lena asked Sam.

"Ruby, stay down here, Lena and I will be back shortly," Sam ordered.

"Yes ma'am," Ruby answered.

As Sam and Lena leave, both Alex and Kara turn to her. "What's going on?" Alex asks.

"Where's Nia?" Kara wants to know.

"She went into work today," Ruby answered as if it wasn't weighing on her mind.

"And why is your mom mad at you?" Kara followed up, everyone always underestimated her ability to read people, they wrote it off as her powers, but she was an award-winning reporter and she didn't get there using her superpowers.

"Because Nia doesn't believe I am ready to be Supergirl while you are recovering," Ruby answered.

"You aren't." Alex and Kara answered at the same time.

"You haven't had any training with your powers Ruby," Kara stated as if that explained everything.

"And you don't know how to fight," Alex said.

Ruby looked at them both, her eyes boring into them. "So neither one of you believes in me either?"

"It isn't belief Ruby," Alex stated, probably a little harsher than she meant. "Kara practiced in secret for years, she knew what she could do and she still got her butt handed to her several times. She learned to fight, she learned how to defend herself with and without her powers. Your powers are still developing, you don't have full control, and none of us want to see you in a situation that would cause you to get hurt." Kelly came up next to Alex, holding her hand to help her relax, but nodding her agreement.

Ruby looked to Kara, who looked to Alex and nodded, agreeing with her sister as well.

"But, I know I can do this. I'll show all of you that I'm ready." Ruby said, then blurred to the door. She was out and into the hallway as the elevator opened and her mom and Lena stepped out. She pressed the button and the doors closed before Sam could get to her.

Lena ran into the office, as Alex exited Kara's room, and switched to the security feed, the elevator stopped at the helipad and they saw Ruby shoot into the air. She looked at Sam. "She flew off towards the north.

Alex reached for her cellphone, dialing the DEO. "I need to speak to Director Lane, right now."

Fortunately, Vasquez was on duty and knew the voice on the other end. "Hold on Director Danvers, I'll get her."

Lucy picked up the phone a minute later. "Alex, what's wrong, is it Kara?"

"No, its Ruby, she is upset and trying to prove she can be the next Supergirl." Alex was holding back tears. "She headed north from L Corp, can you locate her?"

"We are powering up two drones now Alex. Isn't Nia there, have her try to Astral," Lucy said, maintaining a calm she wasn't feeling.

"Nia isn't here, I'll call her next. We are headed out to search, can you call J'onn and Brainy?" Alex begged.

"Vasquez has them on the other line, they are going to start searching and Astra and Alura are helping." Lucy is in full command mode.

"We are headed out, I'll call Nia, thanks, Lucy." Alex was trying to calm down, she wouldn't be able to search if she wasn't in control.

"What are we going to do Alex," Sam asked through her tears.

"We are going to find her, Sam," Alex reassured her friend.

They entered the hallway, and Kelly was waiting for them. "Are we going to look for her?"

The three women ran to the elevator, it wouldn't occur to them until much later that they had left Kara alone.

It dawned on one very worried Lena Kieran Luthor as soon as she watched the elevator doors close. Her heart was racing as she turned and faced Kara's door. This was not a situation she was ready for. Neither of them were.

Kara was in her room, she knew they had left to find Ruby, she wanted to help, she sat herself up and slid to the floor, using the bed for balance, then she turned and looked at the 15 or so feet between her and the door. She moved from one piece of furniture to another, by the third piece, she was exhausted but Ruby was in danger, she had to help. By the fourth piece she was sweating, but the door was within her next trip. On trembling legs she moved forward, one pitiful inch at a time, her breath coming in sharp gulps. Just another twelve inches and she would be at the door. She reached for the handle and watched it turn by itself as it opened away from her and she came face to face with Lena.

Kara recoiled, she was alone, with Lena. Lena stopped, her eyes wide, her breathing shallow, her heart beating in her chest. Kara couldn't stop, Ruby was in trouble, she had to help, she gripped the frame of the door, to pull herself through. Lena stepped in front of her. "Kara, you can't leave. You have to get back to bed." She whispered.

Kara stood as tall as her battered frame would allow her, and Lena noticed how much her collarbones stood out, how thin her face was. Tears formed in Lena's eyes, as the physical proof of what she had done, stood directly in front of her. "I'm leaving, they need my help." Kara cried, pushing herself to stand upright in the doorway. "Move Lena."

"No," Lena said, a bit firmer this time.

Kara stood again, her blue eyes meeting the green of Lena's. Two of the most powerful women in the world were locked in a standoff, and neither was sure how it would end. For just a few moments, Lena looked into the eyes of Supergirl, not Kara, but the woman who had saved her and the world so many times, people had lost count. She wasn't sure if she possessed the willpower that this woman in front of her did. But she wasn't about to let Kara hurt herself while she was pushing her weakened body so hard. It wasn't her mind or her spirit that betrayed Kara, it was her body, ravaged by Kryptonite, and the process of recovery. Her trembling legs finally gave up and she fell to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes. Lena leaned to help her up but looked to Kara for permission before touching her. "Please, help me?" Kara cried.

Lena's heart broke again as she heard the weakness in Kara's voice. She helped her to her feet and gave her a moment to balance herself. With Kara's arm wrapped over her shoulder, Lena helped her back to her bed. Once she got her to the edge, she noticed, Kara didn't have the strength to get on the bed by herself. "Sorry." was all Kara could squeak out. Lena smiled weakly and lifted Kara so she was sitting on the edge of the bed. They worked together to get Kara settled into a comfortable position and then she handed Lena her tablet.

"Click TV, then DEO icon." Kara wheezed out. "Code is Alex's birthday."

Lena entered the commands and suddenly they were getting the feed from the DEO on their screen. "Kara, I shouldn't be watching this."

"Is okay with me Lena." Kara slurred, she was exhausted.

"Kara, would you eat grilled cheese?" Lena asked.

"Love grill cheez, Lena," Kara answered.

"I'm going to order some okay, you can eat when you wake up." Lena was worried, Kara had pushed way too hard. She went to pull away when Kara did the unexpected and pulled, not very hard, her into a hug.

Sharp tears stung Lena's eyes as Kara spoke: "Tired, sleep, don't leave us alone Lee." Kara's eyes started to drift closed. "Sorry Lee, thank you." Her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep. Lena laid Kara back on her pillows and was about to leave when Kara's hand landed over her own. She smiled, realizing that they had both taken another step towards healing. She slowly pulled her hand free and took a quick look at Kara's code, added a few lines and reset it. The screen split as she started getting the local news feeds.

Two hours later and still no sign of Ruby. Kara snorted and rolled on to her side, looking at the screen. She looked at Lena, and for a split second she forgot herself and then blinked and the fear was gone. "Still no Ruby?" she asked.

"No, they've searched all over the city," Lena answered, panicked.

"Tell them to try the old apartment," Kara said.

Lena picked up her phone and dialed Alex. "Oh god, is Kara okay?"

"She's fine Alex, she said to try Sam's old apartment," Lena repeated Kara's idea.

Kara snatched her tablet off the table and keyed another code, taking control of Drone 2, she remembered the general area of Sam's apartment. Watching the screen she piloted the drone towards the area. "Ask Alex if these things have infrared please."

"Alex, do the DEO drones have infrared?" Lena asked, sure that she was about to get yelled out.

"She hacked my fucking drones?" Alex snapped. "Dammit, Kara. Yes, they have infrared, but tell her she better be careful."

"Alex is not pleased, but yes they have infrared," Lena answered Kara's question, a slight smile showing since she and Kara were working together.

Kara adjusted the screen so that she was seeing just the drone's view. She found the control for the infrared and flipped it on. On the screen, they could see several heat signatures moving around, but there was one sitting on the floor, completely still. Kara focused in on that one. "Lena, tell Alex, third floor, right back corner, Kryptonian heat signature."

"How do you know it's Kryptonian?" Lena asked absentmindedly.

"See how the bloom starts at a higher heat and then doesn't degrade until just below the surface, and how the hands, and head, which are uncovered blur, we generate heat because of the sun, so our signatures look different under infrared," Kara explained without ever taking her eyes off the screen.

Lena stared for a moment, Kara had just spoken to her without shaking or stuttering. It seemed that science was an excellent way for Kara to overcome her fear of Lena. Lena heard her phone ring. "Lena it's Alex, put me on speaker." Lena clicked the phone to turn on the speaker.

"Kara, can you hear me?" Alex asked.

"Uh-huh, oh Alex, yes I can hear you, I didn't break anything," Kara answered.

"I know sis, we are on the other side of town, but Astra and Brainy are on their way, can you guide them in?" Alex asked.

"No communication gear Alex.", Kara started to get nervous.

"Kara, you hacked the drone, piggyback off the channel and send it to your phone?" Alex spoke calmly. "Take a deep breath Kara, I know you are nervous, I can hear it in your voice. Do your thing and let me know when you need my code."

Kara took Alex's advice and moved through the code, finding the comm channels for the drone, she keyed in on the channel she needed and her screen beeped, requesting the code. "Alex I need your code, but Lena is here."

"I don't care Kara. Oh shit, you are there alone?" Alex panicked.

"I'm fine Alex, don't make me think about it too hard," Kara said in her Supergirl voice, sounding much more sure of herself than she was. "What's the code?"

"2270," Alex answered.

Kara entered the code then sent a command to her new phone connecting them. She heard the telltale sound of the security encryption software loading in, then the connection. "Supergirl, do you copy? Supergirl. This is Brainiac, do you copy?"

"Supergirl here Brainy, I have sent the coordinates to your tracker, the airspace is currently clear, except for my drone, and I am 50 feet above and to the right of the signature. Ruby is currently in the room by herself, in the back right corner, she isn't moving but she is breathing normally from what I can tell." Kara was being clinical, but Lena could hear the tenseness in her voice.

"We will be there in three minutes Supergirl," Brainy said over the comms. "It's good to hear your voice."

"Thanks, Brainy." She smiles, then whispers, "Please be okay Ruby." She feels Lena patting her hand.

"She will be Kara." Lena tries to smile.

Both women close their eyes and pray that Ruby is okay.

"Supergirl, A is entering the building right now, you should see her on your scanners," Brainy reported.

"Got her Brainy, she's about 30 meters away," Kara announced.

In the apartment, Astra was slowly approaching Ruby's location. "Little warrior, are you here?"

"General, I'm back here, is there anyone else here," Ruby answered in a trembling voice.

Astra scanned the apartment with her eyes and ears, taking Ruby's fear to heart, she couldn't see anything in any spectrum and her ears didn't pick up any sounds except Ruby's quick heartbeat. "No one is here little warrior."

Ruby came out of the room she had been sitting in. She was not using her speed, or any of her powers as she approached Astra. She was crying, silent tears, tears of fear and shame. Astra knelt, right this moment was not the moment to be a general, her Little Warrior needed a friend and an ally. Ruby reached Astra and was enveloped in a hug. She put her head into the crook of Astra's shoulder and neck and cried. She had failed, and she knew it. She really wasn't ready, and she was afraid that she had let everyone down. She stood and cried into Astra's shoulder for what seemed like forever, but it was just a few minutes. "Little Warrior, we need to go, many people are worried about you."

"Yes General," Ruby answered, holding her head down in shame.

Astra took Ruby by the hand, and they headed out the window, flying up to Brainy. Kara had followed the movement on the drone. She clicked the communications key. "This is Supergirl to all search units, Little Warrior has been found, return to my location, A is bringing her in."

Everyone took a deep breath and headed for L Corp. They returned in groups of two or three, to find Kara and Lena talking with Eliza and Allura about whatever. Lucy drifted over to the group, hugging Kara and demanding to know how she got into the DEO system so fast. Nia and J'onn came in and drifted towards Kara, checking on her. Nia was on the verge of tears, and everyone drifted off as she and Kara started to talk. "Nia, this wasn't your fault," Kara whispered.

"She was so mad at me Kara, I was trying to be honest with her, and she told me to go away. She isn't ready for this, she could have been hurt, or worse." Nia was stumbling over her words, so Kara reached up and pulled the young heroine into her arms. Nia leaned in and cried on Kara's shoulder, letting go of her tension.

Sam, Alex, and Kelly entered next. Alex approaches Kara. "Great job sis, we couldn't have done this without your help." Then she gave Kara a huge hug and a kiss on the top of the head.

"I think I'm in trouble with Lucy for hacking the system," Kara whispered, a small smile on her face.

"I'll clear it up sis, she's just jealous cause she can't keep up." Alex smiled back. As she stood up she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned into Lucy.

"I heard that Alex." Lucy grinned. "Whose idea to hack the comm lines?"

Alex gulped, even though she knew Lucy was joking, she hoped.

Kelly leaned in and kissed Kara on the cheek "You okay?"

"A little trembling, but I don't think I did too bad, we hugged, is that okay?" Kara asked, a bit nervously.

"Kara, that's wonderful, did you instigate the hug or Lena." Kelly beamed.

"I did, she helped me back to bed, and she watched over me while I slept." Kara smiled, she was glad to be doing something right, instead of letting fear control her.

"I'm so proud of you Kara. At this rate, you won't need my help." Kelly smiled again. She went to stand up, but Kara stopped her, getting a hug.

"Thank you, Kelly," Kara said as she pulled the lovely psychiatrist in.

Sam was nervously pacing at the door, waiting for Ruby. She heard her heartbeat as the elevator came down, and stepped into the hall. Astra and Brainy came out first. She hugged Brainy first. "Thank you." Then she approached Astra pulling the older woman into a hug, a simple thank you didn't seem like enough.

"Don't berate her too badly Samantha, she had a difficult time tonight, she concluded that she has failed us," Astra stated.

"Thank you, Astra, for everything," Sam said as she released the older woman, and stepped towards the elevator where her very ashamed looking daughter was standing.

"Ruby Patricia Arias," Sam said through gritted teeth as her daughter exited the elevator.

"I'm so grounded. And I completely deserve it." Ruby said, her voice hollow and her eyes full of fear and shame.

"Ruby?" Sam stopped, she was angry, but something was wrong. "Ruby, what happened?"

"I tried momma, I tried to stop three guys from attacking an alien in our old neighborhood, and my powers wouldn't come, and they laughed and I had to run, I thought they were going to catch me, and I finally took off."

"Did they hurt you?" Sam asked, her anger momentarily forgotten, the wellbeing of her daughter coming to the forefront.

"No momma, I'm so sorry, I thought I was ready. I just wanted to help." Ruby started to cry.

"You are so grounded Ruby, but that's it, and you will not use your powers without an adult present. I think you learned a very grown-up lesson today, a lesson almost as hard as what you are seeing Kara go through, she found you, honey, if it hadn't been for Kara, we'd still be looking. Now for the hardest part, you owe everyone in that room an apology." Sam said pointing towards the door.

Ruby took a deep breath and then did something she hadn't done in quite a while, she gripped Sam's hand as they stepped towards the door.

As they entered the room, Sam asked everyone to stop and listen, then backed up, handing the floor off to Ruby. Ruby took a deep breath, there were tears in her eyes as she spoke, but she still spoke up so that everyone could hear her. She looked at each person in the room, stopping on each face as she looked around, finally she looked at Kara as she spoke. "I'm very sorry everyone, I should have listened to the people in this room that told me I wasn't ready, and I should not have run away. I know I don't deserve it, but I hope everyone can forgive me for all the pain I caused."

As she finished her speech, everyone came forward, except Nia, Astra, and Kara. Each person hugged her and admonished her a bit. Mostly they were relieved, but a few were upset with her but kept their thoughts to themselves, Ruby had grown up a bit tonight, and they weren't going to make her feel worse than she already did. Even though she was in trouble, Ruby still relished this family that had come together around Kara, it had been her and her mom for so long against the world, it felt good to see her mom relax when she wasn't stressing her out, and it was nice to have people in her life that could understand what it was like to have powers, especially Nia. She had treated Nia horribly this morning and hoped that she would even want to speak to her. Finally, everyone dispersed, some heading out, back to work, others back to the condo, J'onn kissed Kara on the forehead and congratulated her for a job well done. Brainy wanted to see her code, which she promised to send as he hugged her. Eliza and Alura spoke as well, Alura had to head back to Argo and would miss Kara's press conference, but some duties had to be taken care of and Kara would understand. Alura promised that she would visit again in about a month after she caught everything up. "I'm so sorry dearest, I can only put these things off for so long." She cried.

"Mother, I understand, as long as you promise to return, I miss you and when I am healthy enough I promise to visit more often." She smiled through her tears, as they hugged and Alura kissed her daughter on the cheek.

Lucy hugged Kara quickly "I have to get back, but I want to see that code, send it to me only, and make sure you lock it with our normal code okay?"

"I will, Little Sisters and all that." Kara smiled.

Lena was trying to sneak out, but was caught by Alex. "What happened while we were gone?"

"Exactly what Kara said Alex, she slept and I watched the scanners, nothing else, I promise," Lena answered. "Now I'm going to order us all some lunch, I will be back in about 30 minutes okay."

"Thank you, Lena, thank you for taking care of her," Alex spoke, the stress of the morning wearing on her heavily.

"You're welcome Alex, and again, I'm sorry it came to this." Lena held her head down as she left the room.

While everyone was occupied with Kara, Ruby approached Astra and Nia. "General, I apologize for my actions today, and hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me," Ruby said in Kryptonite.

"Little Warrior, did you learn anything today?" Astra asked, waiting for Ruby to nod. "You have shown honor by taking responsibility for your actions today. There is no need for forgiveness Ruby." Then she hugged the young woman for the second time and approached her niece.

Ruby turned to Nia, noticing the stress in the lines of her forehead, and the tension in her shoulders. She began to speak. "Nia." She only got the woman's name out as Nia pulled her into a tight hug. Ruby wept into Nia's chest. "I'm so sorry for what I said this morning, I was mad, and shouldn't have said that I don't want you to go away, please don't."

"Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you? Do I need to kick anyone's ass?" Nia was still angry, but right now she was just happy to have Ruby standing in front of her unharmed. Ruby explained what had happened and Nia listened, a little of her anger dispersing as Ruby told her story. She had Ruby describe the three men, and committed those descriptions to memory so she could contact the police about them later.

Finally Ruby approached Kara's bed. "Thank you, Aunt Kara, thank you for figuring out where I was hiding. I'm sorry for running off. I did think I was ready. I promise I will never do anything like this again."

"Ruby, honey, I'm sorry I haven't been working with you, it seems as if something is always getting in the way, as soon as I get back to Midvale, I will work with you and your mom, from the ground, so we can get you used to your powers, but only if your mom says it's okay," Kara promised. "Maybe I can convince Superman to help. And, if you ask Auntie A she might teach you some of what she taught me when I first started."

"Thank you, Aunt Kara, I really am sorry," Ruby repeated.

Kara patted the bed beside her, and Ruby hopped up and leaned into Kara's shoulder. "I think Aunt Lena is bringing grilled cheese, she said something about it earlier this morning." Kara smiled.

Sam came over after everyone made their rounds and leaned over to hug Kara. "Thank you, Kara, I'm so glad you thought of the old apartment." Sam smiled.

"Sit down Sam, before you fall over," Kara ordered. "You are pushing yourself too hard Samantha. You are going to eat lunch, and then while Ruby and I work on homework, you are taking a nap."

Sam was speechless, although she was exhausted. "Yes, ma'am." She did as she was ordered and sat down.

The next fifteen minutes were spent making small talk and discussing what Ruby's punishment would be, other than maintaining the condo and washing dishes each night. Of course Ruby was oblivious to this part of the conversation as she dozed, leaning into Kara's shoulder. The stress of the morning finally catching up with her. Then she suddenly perked up. "Aunt Lena's back." She stated.

Lena rolled a huge cart of sandwiches into the room, along with soup and drinks. She parked the cart next to the bed and looked at Kara, waiting. Kara grabbed a cup of tomato soup and a sandwich and started to eat. That seemed to be the signal for everyone to dig in. Lena started to pull back when Kara gave her the famous Supergirl stare. "You too Lena."

Lena smiled slightly and took two sandwiches and a cup of chicken soup and sat near the monitors to eat. She was joined by Astra and Kelly, both of whom were asking questions about the treatment process.

Kara looked around as she finished her first bit of food, she looked again and reached for another cup of soup and two more sandwiches. She didn't think anyone else would notice, but everyone did, they just pretended they didn't. Kelly smiled at Alex, and Sam and Astra shared a look. Kara was on sandwich number four when she finally stopped. Lena made a note in the computer and sent a text to Alex.

Lena: '2500 Calories'

Alex: 'Thank you.'

Kara spent the rest of the day helping Ruby with homework and was not looking forward to the end of the day. Everyone else had left and once they finish homework, she and Ruby had started watching movies. She enjoyed the feeling of just spending time with Ruby, she found that she had missed it a great deal when she was trying to fix things with Lena. The thing she didn't like, the two fifteen-minute physical therapy assignments she had to complete on the bike that Lena brought down with Sam. The walk over was horrible, but after the second ride, Sam had to carry her to bed. She had been too tired to eat after the second therapy but Sam promised pizza for supper and that she and Ruby would stay the night tonight. While Kara dozed, waiting for supper, Ruby cleaned up the recovery room, without using her powers, just like her mom told her. At 6:30 Sam was finally done working and texted Ruby that she would be down with four pizzas in 30 minutes along with pajamas and a change of clothing.

Sam came in with the pizzas and noticed that Kara's eyes lit up as the smell hit her. 'Thank god,' she thought. She put the pizzas down and got dressed in a pair of sweats with a Supergirl T-shirt and waited to see how seating was going to work. Ruby threw on her pajamas and decided she would take the chair, leaving Sam no choice but to sit beside Kara on the bed. She glared at Ruby, who just shrugged her shoulders and made eyes at Sam when Kara wasn't looking. The TV came on and they decided on a few comedies to watch. Kara ate a little more than half a pizza while Sam and Ruby devoured the rest. Sam got an exhausted Kara to the restroom and text, Alex, that he had eaten again, and updated the amount. Alex asked if she was still awake. Sam texted back that yes, she was still awake.

'Have her call when she gets back in bed.'

Sam got Kara back in bed and settle in beside her again at Ruby's insistence. "Alex would like you to call her Kara."

Kara stretched as Sam handed her the phone. She tapped the screen for a video chat and smiled as her sister's face came on the screen. "Hey Alex, what's wrong?"

"Nothing Kar." Alex answered, "I wanted you to know how proud I am of you today."

"Why?" Kara asked, a little confused.

"Because you are my little sister and you were awesome today Kar, and you are facing your problems head-on, just like always. I love you, sis." Alex answered.

"Love you too Alex," Kara said, smiling while tears rolled down her cheeks.

"And you ate Kara, I'm so proud of you." Alex smiled, her eyes watering as well.

"Thank you, Alex, I think someone helped me remember why it is so important that I get better today," Kara said as she smiled at Ruby, who was falling asleep in the chair.

"Get some rest Kara, love you," Alex said

"Love you too Alex. Night" Kara responded.

Kara wiggled a little closer to Sam, sleep was still coming hard unless she was exhausted and having someone near her at night was helping. The stress of the day and two rounds of physical therapy had worn her out and she was asleep in minutes. Ruby got comfortable in the chair "Night momma, I'm really sorry about today."

"What's done is done baby, you learned a lesson and you received your punishment. Love you baby." Sam said to her daughter.

"Love you too momma," Ruby responded as she curled into a ball to sleep.

Sam laid in bed for a good while watching her daughter and Kara sleep, wondering if this could be a glimpse of her future. She decided to trust fate and see where it led her. She kissed the top of Kara's head and whispered: "I love you." Then finally surrendered to sleep herself.


	21. Search Engines

Kara woke up the next morning, and she smiled, 'This was a first' she thought, a little less than a week, and she'd slept through the night, actually slept. She looked and there was Sam, her protector, sleeping next to her, well actually holding her, that explained the sleep, she peeked over Sam's shoulder, and there was Ruby, sweet, not so little Ruby who was handling this like an adult. Two tears slowly made their way down her cheek, one for each of the two people here with her at that moment. Ruby's eyes started to flutter open, and she stretched, then opened her eyes completely and smiled at Kara. Kara placed a finger on her lips, then pointed towards the bathroom and slowly sat up and lowered herself to the floor, she slowly moved across the floor, and made it all on her own. She closed the door all the way and sat down. Immediately the walls felt like they were closing in, and she rushed to finish and get the door opened. She came out breathing hard with her eyes wide. Sam and Ruby were by her side in an instant. She looked at each one. "Thank you." She whispered with her head down in shame.

Sam lifted Kara's chin and looked into her eyes, she smiled softly, sleepily and whispered. "Kara, you did good, okay, there's nothing to be ashamed of."

Kara stood a little bit straighter and pointed to her new enemy, the bike that was parked a few feet from her bed. "Are you sure?" Sam asked.

"Got to do it while I'm still up, and then two more times later." Kara grimaced.

They moved slowly towards the bike and Sam helped her up and onto the bike. Ruby helped her get her balance and then they started the time. Kara started slowly, promising herself that she would build up some more speed as she progressed. She didn't push for the first five minutes, then she started to build up more speed and changed the gears to something a little harder. She was pushing it, driving herself harder. Sam noticed the change of gears and looked up from her tablet, seeing Kara getting red in the face as she pushed towards her limits. She was sweating also. "Kara slow down, you're pushing too hard," Sam said.

"Aunt Kara?" Ruby was worried.

"Kara stop it, now!" Eliza yelled as she walked in with Lena.

Kara looked up and saw her mother and Lena walk in, she slowed the bike down just like her workouts yesterday, but her foot slipped, and she fell off the bike, landing roughly on her side. Eliza was there quicker than Sam or Ruby helping her up. "What were you thinking?" She asked. "You are not ready for that much speed or resistance Kara; you have to take it slowly."

"Yes ma'am," Kara answered, hanging her head. "I'm sorry."

"Kara I'm not mad, but honey you have to go easy until you get your strength back. Lena is trying to help you get your appetite back, but you are not going to get your powers back any faster if you push too hard." Eliza smiled. "Now, I brought some more clothes, shorts, and sweats, since Lena said you needed some time in the sun. So, let's get you a shower and then upstairs to Lena's office." Then she noticed fresh blood coming through Kara's pajamas. "Sam, chair, now. Lena, I need silk sutures and something to clean this with."

Lena blinked twice, not used to being ordered around in her building, then grabbed what Eliza asked for. Sam got her settled, and Eliza raised her shirt. The injury was covered badly, but no infection and the stitch job was horrible. "Your sister knows better than this." She said to herself. "Kara, I need you to sit straight up in the chair." Kara did as she was told, and Eliza inspected the stitches to see where they were pulling. 'Aha,' she thought. "Ruby, be a dear and bring me a wet towel from the bathroom please."

"Yes, ma'am," Ruby answered as she blurred into the bathroom, moistened a towel and zapped it with her heat vision really quick. Then she blurred back to Eliza's side. As she stopped, she looked at her mom and apologized. "Sorry, momma."

"It's okay, you're supervised." Sam smiled, knowing it was because of Kara that Ruby had forgotten.

"Ruby, this isn't going to be pretty honey, you may not want to watch me," Eliza said, looking Ruby in the eyes.

Ruby gulped, no matter much she wanted to be a grown-up, right now she didn't want to see Kara in pain, and it was way too early for blood. She looked to her mother for confirmation, Sam nodded, and Ruby jumped up on Kara's bed and put on her headphones and some music videos.

Lena came over and took a look at the wound, it was messy, and on anyone else, it would scar, but she knew that once she healed, you would never know.

"Sam, I'm going to need you to keep her in the chair, because this is going to hurt." Eliza cringed, hurting her child was not something she wanted to do.

Sam stood and put her hands gently on Kara's shoulders, Kara looked up and saw the beginning of tears in Sam's eyes. Her eyes questioned, and Sam smiled. "I'm sorry, I don't like the idea of holding you in place." Kara patted Sam's hand with her good one, letting her know that she was trusted completely.

"Lena, you are going to have to help me keep the blood flow to a minimum please," Eliza asked. "Are you okay with this, both of you?"

"Yes, ma'am." Lena was grinding her teeth, she didn't want to be involved with causing Kara more pain, but Eliza wasn't exactly taking no for an answer.

Kara took a deep breath. "I'm okay mom."

"Gloves, Lena," Eliza ordered as she pulled her pair on.

Once everyone was ready, Eliza quickly popped the existing sutures and cleaned the wound. Lena made sure that she maintained pressure and watched as Eliza's sure hands stitched the wound as if it wasn't her daughter sitting there in the chair. Kara gritted her teeth and squeezed Sam's hand with all her might, which Sam could barely feel at all. Eliza concentrated on the last stitch and as she placed, she looked Kara in the eye and asked. "Kara, can you lift your arm above your head, please?"

Kara lifted her bad arm slowly, making sure she didn't punch Sam in the face. And Lena watched as the stitches gave just a bit, without bunching as she moved her arm. "Do you see what I am doing Lena, by having the stitches a little loose, when she uses her arm, they won't pull, causing pain and a chance at ripping."

"How did you ever figure that out?" Lena asked, fascinated.

"2-year ER rotation before I decided on a more researched based career." Eliza smiled. She still wasn't overly happy with Lena, but she was taking proper care of Kara. "Now we need to cover it so she can shower and change." Eliza proceeded to cover the wound with a bandage and then waterproof it with a bit of plastic and tape. "Okay Kara, shower."

Kara lowered her arm, feeling just a little pull, and worked herself into a standing position. Sam and Eliza helped her to the bathroom, and Eliza got her into the shower. Kara washed and noticed for the first time just how thin she had gotten, she frowned at the thought that she was letting everyone down, people that counted on her. She stood up straight, washed her hair and rinsed, got out and brushed her teeth and looked at herself in the mirror. "You can do this Kara; you have to do this for your family." She dried off the best she could and toweled her hair, brushing it with her fingers, then slid on shorts and a t-shirt and opened the door.

"Can we eat before we head upstairs?" Kara asked as she came out of the bathroom.

"You're hungry honey?" Eliza asked.

"I need to eat mom; I didn't realize how bad I am," Kara said sadly.

Sam noticed something, there was a spark behind those blue eyes that hadn't been there before. She smiled to herself, their Kara was coming back, a little quicker than they thought, she still had a way to go, but like always, Kara was facing this problem head-on.

"I had breakfast sent up to the office, so you could eat on the balcony this morning, I wanted to see if the sunlight would make a difference to your appetite," Lena said, sounding a little too clinical, even to herself.

"Well, that didn't sound creepy at all Aunt Lena." Ruby giggled as she rolled up her headphones and set them beside Kara's tablet.

Sam looked at Ruby and sighed, Kara giggled, Eliza snorted, and Lena cringed. Kara looked to Eliza and as her eyes met her adopted mom's they started laughing. This was contagious because next thing you know all five of them were laughing. Kara stopped first, it was pulling at her stitches, but the smile was still there. The rest had tears in their eyes, it was Kara's first real laugh since coming home a week ago. Lena excused herself and stepped into the hallway, she wiped the tears from her eyes and grabbed a wheelchair for Kara, knowing this was going to be a battle. She rolled the chair back into the room, and everyone looked at her. Kara saw the chair and frowned, she knew she wasn't ready for the walk down the hallway, especially after this morning. She looked at the faces of everyone in the room with her, including Ruby. Ruby looked back and mouthed the word please to Kara. Kara's frown softened and she nodded, then she looked to Lena and said, "Thank you." Then she seated herself and accepted her fate for right now. After getting Kara situated, they headed upstairs, Lena had breakfast set up on the balcony and Kara made it a point to get a little of everything, even the fruit. Without realizing it, she was back for seconds and after that plate, she came back one more time for just pancakes.

"Sunlight seems to make a difference." Eliza looked at Lena and stated.

"Almost 4000 calories, Sunlight and the work out definitely worked." Lena smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Lena, for helping." Eliza tried to smile, but it didn't go to her eyes.

"You're welcome, Mrs. Danvers," Lena answered. "Now if you will excuse me, I've got a small project that I have to work on for my doctor."

"Anything I can help with?" Sam asked.

"No, not really, Andrea is coming and she's going to help me. Harley challenged me to reconnect with my mother, my birth mother, so we are going to do some research, following the money trail, if it's possible."

Kara overheard the conversation, and her brain kicked into high gear. Of course, Lena, with all that money would think that way, why not try the simpler approach. She waited for them to go inside and called Eliza over. She let Ruby in on the plan as well. "Mom, I need Alex, Lucy, and Lois to watch me tonight, if that is okay. We are going to do something about Lena's mom. She and Andrea are thinking about it the wrong way, it wouldn't be about money, it's going to be about hiding information, something the Luthor's are good at, but something that good hackers and reporters love to search for." Kara said, sounding determined, sounding like Supergirl.

"Your sister won't like helping Lena," Eliza said.

"I know, but she will do it for me, and she needs to work on her computer skills anyway. She makes me practice fighting all the time, but she counts on everyone else for the tech stuff, she is smart enough, I just need to teach her a little more." Kara sounded really sure of herself.

"Can I help?" Ruby asked.

"Only with the legal stuff, if we have to hack something we probably shouldn't, you can't okay. I made a promise to your mom, nothing illegal." Kara stated.

"Yes ma'am, maybe I can work with Lois too?" Ruby just wanted to be involved, guilt over the day before was still fresh on her mind.

In the meantime, Eliza was on the phone talking to Alex. Her conversation ended with her red-faced and a bit aggravated, but like her adoptive daughter, Eliza Danvers didn't take no for an answer. "Okay Kara, it's all set. Alex, Lucy, and Lois are coming in about an hour to help. Alex isn't happy, but it's for you so play nice with your sister."

"Yes, ma'am and thank you." Kara smiled and pushed herself out of the wheelchair and walked slowly over to Eliza and hugged her. Both women needed this, and Eliza couldn't help the tears that flowed down her cheeks onto Kara's pajamas. Sam stepped back out onto the balcony and saw what was going on, she smiled and looked at Ruby.

"Hey momma, can I stay with Aunt Kara tonight?" Ruby asked.

"Why?" Sam asked, warily.

"Because we are going to be working on a project with Alex, Lucy and Lois and I promised I would teach her some more of my techniques." Kara decided to be honest.

"Fine, but nothing illegal Kara." Sam smiled.

"I already made that promise, and we are just helping Lena." She blurted out, not meaning too.

"Helping Lena with what Kara?" Sam asked.

"Finding her mom." Kara smiled.

"Kara, she is doing this with Andrea, and she hasn't asked for help," Sam said.

"When has that ever stopped me? You're going to be helping her, aren't you?" Kara challenged.

"Maybe." Sam was unsure now.

"I'll bet you a trip back to Midvale in a convertible that we find something before the two of you." Kara challenged.

"And what do I get?" Sam asked.

"Your choice, you can choose if you win," Kara answered with a whole lot of swagger in her voice.

"Oooohhhh, it is so on Danvers." Sam challenged.

"You have no idea, Arias." Kara smiled. "This is going to be fun."

The gauntlet had been dropped and the challenge accepted, Team Arias versus the Hack Sisters. Kara did not have a doubt in her mind who the winners would be.

Lena stepped out on the balcony and noticed a very intense showdown between Kara and Sam. "What's going on?" She asked.

"We've been challenged." Sam answers.

"Challenged? How?" Lena is totally confused.

"My team versus yours, we are going to find your mom." Kara piped in, no fear in her voice, only the chance to be doing something.

"Kara, you don't have to do this. The three of us will find something." Lena stated, on the verge of tears.

"Lena, I'm going to be honest, I'm not doing this just for you, I'm doing this for me too. You are angry with me, you want to take that betrayal and hold on to it, but I don't want to see you so caught up in betrayal that you miss the next person that enters your life. Sometimes walls are good Lena, and sometimes they just block your view." Kara stated.

"Kara?" Lena asked.

"You let me in Lena, you trusted me, I trusted you and I fell in love with you, but then you let Lex manipulate you with my secret. And that's just it Lena, it was mine to share, not yours to just have. I told you because I wanted to because I felt like you deserved to know, but it had to be me that chose the time, it wasn't trust or your last name, it was all me. And yet you still wanted to hold on to the betrayal, the hurt. If you had talked to me, had let me in, we could have fixed whatever we had. Now, Lena I have a chance to help you, no strings attached." Kara was in tears at this point. "I don't know if we can salvage anything from our friendship, but you are helping me, so let me help you."

Lena heard the last words of what Kara said, and hung her head, she didn't know either and it bothered her more than she thought. She was also slightly impressed that Kara was so sure of herself. "Fine but I'm changing the password and we are starting as soon as we finish breakfast so that means I get at least a 2-3-hour head start," Lena said as she looked up at Kara, challenge being met in her eyes. Then she noticed the tablet in Kara's hands.

"Only if you can unlock your system before my help gets here," Kara said, chomping down on a pancake and smirking at Lena.

Sam stood with her mouth gaping open, staring at Kara.

Lena was shocked.

Ruby and Eliza were laughing.

"Checkmate." Kara laughed.

They left Sam and Lena in Lena's office trying to get into her system. While they rode down the elevator, Kara showed her program for locking Lena's system to Ruby. It was a simple algorithm that would change the password in Lena's computer to the last password she typed. Sam's was set the same way, just to make sure.

They entered Kara's room, and she took a deep breath after the sunshine upstairs it seemed so dreary down here. She frowned slightly, oh well only a few more days and she would be clear of the kryptonite, then she could head home. Her phone beeped and she opened it up to see a text message from Sam.

Sam: 'You locked mine too?'

Kara: 'Fraternizing with the enemy.'

Sam: 'If you give us a head start, Lena says if you win, she will give each team member something.'

Kara: 'Lucy=Dress'

Sam: 'She agrees'

Kara: 'Lois=Quarterly Exclusives'

Kara sat staring at her phone for a moment, waiting.

Sam: '…'

Sam: 'She agrees.'

Kara: 'Alex=?'

Sam: 'Me either sweetheart.'

Kara: 'Me=More sun '

Sam: 'You okay?'

Kara: 'Dreary down here after the real thing.'

Sam: 'She agrees, win or lose'

Kara: 'Also me=still ride home'

Sam: 'I agree'

Sam: 'Well, password'

Kara: 'Tell her to enter a new password'

Sam: '…'

Sam: 'okay, done'

Kara: 'Key the same password'

Sam: 'okay?'

Kara: 'Trust me'

Sam: 'Keying it now'

Sam: 'She's in and swearing in four or five languages.'

Kara: 'Sorry Sam, thanks for the opportunity to do something.'

Sam: 'You did this Kara, I'm happy for you'

Kara: 'Thanks Sam, Luv ya, going to take a quick nap'

Sam: 'Good luck, she's on a mission'

Kara: 'We'll win.'

Sam: 'Of that, I have no doubt'

Sam: 'Night sweetheart.'

Kara set her phone down. As it touched the table, it buzzed again.

James: 'Hey Kar, sorry I haven't visited, will be there Sunday if okay. Paper is incredibly busy; you should buy one. Sorry again, love you, Kara.'

Kara: 'Thank you, miss you, see you Sunday. Love you, James.'

She set her phone down and looked at Eliza. "Need a nap mom?"

Eliza smiled. "That sounds good." And she settled herself beside Kara on the bed. Ruby settled contently in the chair and leaned back with Kara's tablet and her headphones. Eliza and Kara settled against one another and Kara breathed a sigh of relief to have her mom so close and all to herself for just a little while. Both were asleep within a few minutes while Ruby sat and watched them both, while her tablet kept track of the other team's total lack of progress.

An hour and forty-five minutes later, Ruby woke them up. "Auntie A is here, and she brought pizza."

Alex, Lucy, and Lois all entered the room. Alex looked at Kara like she would really rather be doing anything else, Lucy looked excited and Lois, as usual, looked totally in her element. Everyone was in sweats or comfy clothes and tennis shoes.

"So, what are we doing here, you mom just asked if we could help you with something?" Lucy asked, knowing if she was one of the group, they were about to spend a long night looking for something.

"Mom, can you and Ruby go next door to Lena's office and bring her small conference table in?" Kara asked.

"How do you know she has a table?" Eliza asked.

"Because Lena will have meetings wherever possible and she always an extra table or desk in her offices for them," Kara answered as if there was any doubt.

As Ruby and Eliza left, Alex asked Kara. "Why Kara, this has got to be something for Lena? So why?"

"This is for me to Alex, I have to heal, and until I know she's healing, I can't focus on just me. So, no matter how much you want to make this about just her, it's not. I have already had this discussion with Lena, she knows how I feel about this and she knows why." Kara answered. "And I already gave her a bit of a lecture as well."

"So, what are we doing Kar?" Alex asked, still not convinced.

"Finding Lena's birth mother, it's a project for her therapy. A way to reconnect." Kara answered.

Lucy smiled. "We are hacking L Corp's servers again, aren't we?"

"Probably more than just L Corp." Kara smiled back.

"Okay, I'm in, but I don't have anywhere near the computer skills you two have," Lois spoke up.

"Sorry, Lois you are here as the most experienced among us as an investigator." Kara smiled at Lois. "You have years of experience and sources all over the world if we find something you can probably dig the information up faster than we can."

"So why am I here?" Alex whined.

"Because you are my big sister who supports me in everything I do, even if she doesn't always like it. And because you need to work on your computer skills." Kara smirked at her sister.

"I still don't like it, Kara. It's like you can't stay away from her." Alex frowned.

"Alex, I told you, this is for me too. I am not in love with Lena! I have my family, and this morning I was in the bathroom and saw myself, how bad I look. I'm trying to eat, I am trying to get well, and I need you to support me. I don't care if you hate Lena, Alex, I don't." Kara was trying not to cry. "I told you, Alex, she doesn't come first, you do, you are here because I want you here, so we get some time together because I have pushed you to the side and made you feel like you were replaced. No matter what Alexandra Danvers, you are my sister and my best friend, and we need time to heal."

Alex was stunned, Kara was putting herself and Alex first in this project. This wasn't about Lena; this was about Kara. "So, what do you need me to do?" Alex smiled.

Kara flipped her tablet around. "Well, I kind of challenged Lena and Sam to see who would get the information first."

"So, what's wrong with that?" Lucy asked.

"They have had about a two-hour head start." Kara grinned as she answered Lucy.

"What?" All three women asked.

"That's not the worst part, I made Lena promise some stuff. Lucy gets a dress for her wedding. Lois gets first shot at Lena's quarterlies interviews. I get a ride home in a convertible and a room with a better view for the next few days." Kara answered.

"What about me?" Alex asked.

"Yours is open. But you can't kill her Alex." Kara smiled.

"She agreed to give me an open offer?" Alex was surprised.

"Yep." Kara popped the P and smiled at her sister.

Ruby and Eliza came back in, Ruby was carrying the table like it was a paperweight. Lucy and Alex cleared a spot for the table and Ruby blurred back to get chairs. Eliza was carrying 6 tablets and a laptop.

"These were on the table with a note from Sam and Lena that we might need them," Eliza stated.

Lucy grabbed the tablets and opened each one. "There's tracking software on this one Kara. This one too."

"Use your looping software on them, Luc. Stick them a loop so they can't tell what we are doing." Kara laughed.

As Lucy looped the tracking software, Kara took each tablet and linked it to her tablet. They were linked. Then she picked up Ruby's tablet and set up her own tracking algorithm to follow Lena's progress. "Mom you want to stay tonight also, to make sure we all rest. Especially me." Kara pretty much begged.

"I'll stay, you get tired, you stop. Understood." Eliza said, the mom coming out in her voice.

"Yes, ma'am." All five ladies answered.

Eliza made herself comfortable on Kara's bed and watched the team prepare. Lois whipped out paper and pencil. Alex asked the most obvious question. "Where do we start?"

"Well, needless to say, the ladies upstairs are chasing money." Kara laughed.

"Rich girls, what do you expect." Lois laughed.

"So, where do we start?" Alex asked.

"Lena was four when her mom drowned. How do we find a drowning victim from 2001 in Ireland?"

"Medical records? Locate deaths in the system and research." Alex thought aloud.

"No, emergency services. Ambulances, or rescue squads." Eliza piped up.

"Mom, you are brilliant." Kara smiled. "Okay Alex, let's search the internet, hit up emergency reports, 2001, Ireland."

"Aunt Kara, as soon as you called up your search engine, Aunt Lena's primary computer called it up too. I think she is mirroring the tablets." Ruby said as she spun her tablet towards Kara.

"Great job Ruby looks like Lena is cheating. Lucy, pull up your invisibility cloak software. Prep it to run every time we use a search engine. Ruby, write up a quick search block okay."

While Ruby was writing her code, Kara led Alex through a few search engines plus two of her own. One of hers she had written specifically for Lena's system. "Remember Alex we are looking for secrets, no messing with anything else, please."

"Hmph" was all Alex said.

"Kara, I have a hit, Ireland's Emergency services, reports 136 drownings in 2001." Lois smiled, this was fun, Lucy and Kara worked so flawlessly together, and Kara had a knack for organization. An idea was forming in Lois's head, something she would talk to Kara about later.

"Filter by sex, Lois," Kara asked.

"Done, 15 cases in a rough 18-30 range Kara," Lois stated.

"Okay short stuff, you need to jump on the bed with Eliza for about an hour, time to eat while we cross-reference," Kara said, the software she had written for this search was going to bend a few rules and she wanted to make sure that Ruby was not involved in anything specifically illegal. "Lucy, you have the cloak ready?"

"All set Kar," Lucy said.

"Alright, we will combine the reported cases and run a search comparing those names to birth mothers from 4 years prior. This is where it gets boring." Kara said.

"Aunt Kara, they still haven't made any progress," Ruby said.

"Kara, I have a strange hit in a journal entry from Lionel dated 2000. It seems like he purchased a small house in the village of Westport using a company that doesn't exist. Kearan Ltd." Alex stated. She was in awe of her sister right now, she had seen Supergirl take command over and over through the last 5 years, but never Kara. She was seeing a whole new side to her baby sister, and she was impressed.

"Great job Alex!" Kara smiled, then limited the search parameters to the general area of Westport. It was still going to be a wait, but at least they had a geographic profile to work with. "Okay everyone, I'm starting the search, looks like we have about 2 hours. Let's eat."

Everyone gathered around the table and started eating. Just talking about everything, the Lois decided to drop her idea bomb on Kara. "Kara, I think you should write a book?"

"What? About?" Kara was surprised by the idea.

"How about Krypton? A history, I was reading through your memory book at your mom's and it was fascinating." Lois smiled.

Kara blushed, with everything that happened she had forgotten. "Do you think anyone would read it? How would I publish? What about my identity?"

"Whoa Kara, slow down. You could publish under a pen name, and the Planet has a small publishing arm. Basically, you would be the author, you just need to make sure you don't write in first person and use a proofreader that you trust, like Kelly, Alex or Lucy." Lois stated.

"Or you?" Kara asked.

"Or me." Lois smiled.

"How?" Kara was intrigued, so was Alex. Lucy was just smiling; her sister was pretty awesome.

"With your permission, I going to email the head of the publishing arm and see if there is any interest. If there is, you will have to sign a contract, and they will give you an idea of writing time. You have the right to say no, and you will be allowed to make adjustments to the contract. Sit down with Lucy, so you have a lawyer with you. She will make sure you are protected." Lois smiled at Lucy.

"This would be great Kara; you could reconnect with Krypton's history." Alex smiled at her sister, seeing the wheels turn behind those blue eyes.

"Aunt Kara, I would read it, it would be so cool to have a chance to read about where you and mom come from." Ruby was bouncing with energy.

"Yeah Kara, think about it, you could encourage some of the aliens here on Earth to share their knowledge a little more, maybe build a bridge to help the people understand aliens a little better," Alex said.

Kara's phone buzzed while they were talking.

Sam: 'Made any progress?'

Kara: 'Maybe, ready to change sides.'

Sam: 'You're serious, you found something?'

Kara: 'We think so.'

Sam: 'You are amazing.'

Kara: 'I know, it's why everyone loves me.'

Sam: 'Lena said no more therapy today, and she thinks one time a day until you get the weight back on.' Sam texted back, trying to avoid where this conversation might lead.

Kara: 'Tell her, thank you, hope you already picked out the car.'

Sam: 'Cocky aren't you.'

Kara: 'I have a good team.'

Kara: 'Ask Lena how our search engines are working for her.'

Sam: 'She just swore at me again, in French, maybe.'

Kara: 'LOL'

Kara: 'Tell her I ate, half a pizza.'

Sam: 'Ruby told me, good job.'

Kara: 'Have you found anything?'

Sam: 'A house in some village called Westport'

Kara: 'We found that too, she can't figure out, how can she?'

Sam: 'Nope, she is frustrated.'

Kara: 'Tell her, tell her to consider other moves, stop attacking with one piece.'

Sam: 'Okay, thanks, sweetheart.'

Kara: 'Good luck'

"Sam checking on our progress?" Alex asked, smiling.

"Yeah, they found the house in Westport, but can't figure out the purchasing company, it's probably not listed." Kara laughed. Everyone at the table noticed she was more relaxed than she had been in quite some time, maybe she did need a break from being Supergirl, not just to get better, but to let go of the pressure.

The continued to talk and carry on, waiting for the search to complete.

2 hours later the computer finally dinged. Search completed.

"We have two possible matches for the area, never mind, we have a match," Kara said. "I know where the company name came from."

She turned her screen to face everyone, the name of the death certificate, the name staring them all in the face, Briana Eleanor Kearan. She had a daughter born in 1997, Kaitlin Alena Kearan. "Kara, I've got a picture, a driver's license. Oh my god." Lois' jaw dropped open. She turned the picture towards the other three women and staring back from the picture were Lena's eyes.

Kara took a deep breath, "Think we have enough?"

"Call her Kar," Alex said.

Kara took a deep breath and dialed Lena's cell.

"Yes?" Lena asked she had Andrea in the room with her so she couldn't use Kara's name.

"We found her Lena." Kara responded, "Just sent you a picture."

She heard Lena gasp. "Oh my god."

"Lena?" Kara asked.

"Thank you."


	22. Serenity, Loyalty, Hope

Sam came in and found the whole gang crashed out, asleep in whatever location they could comfortably lie in. Kara, Alex, and Eliza had somehow squeezed themselves into Kara's bed while Lois was asleep in the chair and Lucy was curled up on half a dozen blankets with Ruby on the floor. She smiled at the group and laughed happily to herself, Lucy stirred first, blinking sleepily as she stretched and looked up "Hey, Sam. Is it morning already?"

"MmHmm, actually it's just after 8:00, so you all got to sleep in about 30 minutes later." Sam smiled.

Lucy's eyes popped open. "8:00, oh damn, I have to be at the DEO in about an hour." She jumped up looking for her tennis shoes.

"There, under the table Luce." Sam laughed as she pointed.

"Thanks, Sam." Lucy laughed as she grabbed her shoes and hopped down the hall putting them on. She had a company car, so she could go straight to the DEO and shower and change. "Tell Kara I'll call later." She yelled as the door closed.

Lucy's rush woke the rest of the gang up, everyone looked up sleep still in their eyes, blinking quickly. Alex stretched and sat up. Lois got up and smiled. "How's my son?"

"He's fine, Clark came in last night and took over from Nia and Brainy." Sam smiled, remembering how much she worried about Ruby at that age.

"Hi, momma." Her not so little girl said, yawning.

"Hi baby, you are going back to the condo, Nia wants to hang out today," Sam told her child.

"Actually, that's on me." Eliza volunteered while stretching. "Me and the girls are taking a road trip today."

"Really?" Ruby asked excitedly, rushing to find her shoes and clothes from the two days she had been here. "I'll do laundry when we get home tonight mom."

"Okay baby." Sam laughed, she loved seeing Ruby this excited. "Alex, Astra asked that she get a few minutes of your time today."

That woke Alex up. "Yeah, I guess Kara is doing better isn't she." She sighed.

"Hey, Sam." Kara smiled sleepily. "I put everything about Lena's mom on a zip drive."

"I'll give it to her, and I made a reservation for a car this morning. Lois, Lena will call you personally to set up interviews for the next four quarters."

Lois smiled. "What about Lucy's dress?"

"I was supposed to get her size, but she rushed out in a hurry." Sam frowned a bit.

"I'll get it and text you later." Lois smiled "And I'm staying today because Kara and I have a speech to work on."

Kara frowned. "That's right."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, you get a room with a view for the rest of your stay, and Lena said if you could make it to the elevator pushing the wheelchair, no bike today." Sam smiled.

"Okay." Kara smiled, perking up at the chance not to ride that particular demon today.

While everyone got their things together, Eliza and Alex gathered up Kara's things and supervised, along with Sam as she made her way to the elevator. She made it all the way down the hall, then sat heavily in her chair.

The elevator came to a halt on the floor right above Lena's office and Lena was standing at a set of double doors.

"Hello, Kara. Thank you again." Lena smiled then opened the door.

They all stopped and just looked in. The room was a studio apartment, about the size of Kara's former apartment. Except there were floor to ceiling windows forming the outside walls. Kara's bed was set facing the windows with chairs and even an extra bed set up for guests. All the monitors were in place, but nothing blocked her view of the outside. Kara was speechless, quite an accomplishment for the normally chatty superhero.

"You like it, sweetheart?" Sam asked.

Kara stood up, closing her eyes, just letting her body feel the sunlight. "In Rao's name. Sami, it's perfect." She smiled. Sam averted her eyes, the nickname had until now been a private thing between them that Kara used when she visited. "Thank you, Lena."

"You earned it, now I'm going to just check you out quickly and then Sam and I have several meetings that we cannot put off today," Lena said, impressed, Kara wasn't showing any signs of fear, but of course Alex and Eliza were right here. "You can even order food and have it delivered via the dumb waiter by the bar. Same access codes work up here as downstairs, and I already set up the monitor to work as a TV."

Kara sat in one of the recliners and just looked out over National City, the sunlight doing wonders to increase her mood. Alex and Eliza said their goodbyes and headed down to return to the condo. Lena and Sam waited until Lois came in and then said their goodbyes. Kara and Lois spent the rest of their day working on her speech for Monday while Lena and Sam spent the day in meetings.

Alex was a nervous wreck on the way home, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. Eliza tried and failed several times to start a conversation. Astra was weighing heavy on her mind, except for Kara's room, they avoided each other completely at the condo, and now she wanted to talk. 'Shit, shit, shit' Alex thought to the beat of her tapping fingers.

They arrived back at the condo and Alex immediately headed to her room to calm down. Kelly was already at Obsidian because she has meetings today. Alex sent a quick I love you text and received one back just as quick. She jumped in the shower and let the hot water wash some of her concerns down the drain.

While Alex was in the shower Eliza and Astra sat down for a cup of coffee while the girls finished getting ready.

"How is my niece, Eliza?" Astra asked, she needed to get back to see her, but had been exploring the city just a bit, getting her bearings and getting used to being alive again.

"She's doing much better, Astra, your presence that night, seems to have helped her overcome some of her fear with Lena. She confronted her and Alex yesterday about her feelings and theirs. That's a huge step for Kara, she normally tries not to step on other people's feelings at all." Eliza smiled.

"Ask, Eliza, you wish to know why I want to speak with Alexandra," Astra spoke formally.

"Why today, Astra?" Eliza was concerned and continued. "What are you planning?"

"Alexandra and I need to speak, I am not going to hurt her, but there are things she and I need to get through, she has protected Kara through many things, and I wish to know her better," Astra said. "I am not explaining this well, my feelings for Alexandra are conflicted."

"Just be careful, she means a great deal to Kara," Eliza said.

"I will be, Eliza, thank you." Astra bowed and headed back to the balcony.

The girls came out, dressed for a day out with Eliza, jeans, hoodies and tennis shoes. Eliza stepped up to Alex's door and called out. "Alex, we are headed out, coffee is through and Clark is out with Jon."

"Love you, mom," Alex called back.

"Love you too, behave." Eliza smiled as she leaned her head against the door. She pushed herself off the door and headed out with the girls.

They made their way downstairs, loaded into the SUV and headed out. "Where are we headed?" Ruby asked.

"There's a place about an hour outside of town that Kara and I discovered while exploring one day. I took Kara and Alex there, once, they were fighting, and it gave them a chance to reconnect. I thought, after the last couple of days, that maybe you two would appreciate it." Eliza smiled as the memory came.

_Eliza had called to check on the girls, it was the anniversary of Jeremiah's death and Alex always got into such a funk. Kara picked up and explained that Alex was wasted and that they were fighting, maybe not such a good weekend to visit. Eliza took it as a challenge and arrived the next morning._

_Alex was on the couch, hungover, so hungover that she groaned when Eliza closed the door. Kara was flitting around the apartment like a hyperactive hummingbird, her crinkle more pronounced than ever. She greeted Eliza with a hug and then back to the kitchen._

_"Breakfast girls?" Eliza asked, not giving them a choice as she pulled bacon and eggs from the fridge. She cooked breakfast and forced both girls to eat._

_Throughout breakfast, they continued sniping at one another, until Eliza had enough. "Both of you get dressed, we are going out, NOW!"_

_They got dressed, still arguing. Eliza rolled her eyes, at this point, she was ready to snap. She didn't need an explanation, the girls always had bad times, but normally they came back pretty quickly, this time, not so much. They headed out towards the Buddhist gardens, it was a place she and Kara had discovered and when she became too overwhelmed in the city, Kara could come here to collect herself. This was a place she had never shared with Alex, something all her own._

_When they arrived, Eliza explained the rules to Alex, no speaking, it wasn't forbidden, but the quiet was encouraged. Kara was staring out the window. Eliza knew she was worried that Alex's mood would spoil this place for her, but she also knew that Alex needed to reset, she needed to share Kara's peace. They got out of the car and Kara pulled them both to the center of the garden, her favorite spot in the entire place because it was there that she found her and Alex's favorite flowers, the Lotus blossoms. Alex finally broke her grip, but couldn't stop staring, every color was represented but there in the middle was a pink and turquoise representing hope and friendship. She reached out, not thinking, searching for Kara's hand, which found hers. They pulled each other together, and Eliza smiled as Kara leaned her head on Alex's shoulder as the sun broke through the clouds and shined down on the garden._

Eliza shook her head from the memory, started the car and headed out. She needed this as much as the girls did, she was so worried about Kara, what if her powers never returned? Kara had worked so hard as Supergirl, would she be okay if she never flew again? As a scientist, she had seen the results of Lena's work, had seen how it was working on Kara, but as a mother, she was worried about the health of her child. Nia and Ruby were talking quietly back and forth, Ruby apologized again for what had happened, and Nia once again told her to stop, that everything was going to be okay between them. Ruby then asked the one question Eliza didn't think Nia was ready for. "Are you scared?"

Nia blinked, then swallowed, and finally took a deep breath and answered the question with a question. "Of what?"

"Aunt Kara never coming back?" Ruby asked.

Nia turned away from Ruby, not to be mean, but to hide the tears that were forming. Ruby moved forward as far as her seatbelt would allow and put her hand on Nia's shoulder, and Eliza, without thinking held her hand out to support the young hero. Nia grasped at the lifeline, closed her eyes and whispered. "Yes, it worries me all the time. I've seen her get hit and get right back up like it never happened. Now I see her, so weak and scared. I-I just, want to see her get better. Supergirl is who everyone sees, but Kara, she's my hero. And as strong as she is, if something like this could happen to her, what would have happened to me." Nia then turned completely away, staring out the window, still holding Eliza's hand as she cried. The rest of the trip would be made in silence.

Back at the condo…

Alex had gotten out of the shower and was heading into the kitchen for coffee when Astra called out that she already had made her a cup. Alex grabbed a banana and took a deep breath and headed out to the balcony like a prisoner being led to execution.

"Good morning, Alexandra. How is my niece?" Astra asked, calmly.

"She is well, Astra, she stuck it to Lena yesterday," Alex answered, nervously.

"Stuck what to her?" Astra asked, confused.

"I apologize, she defeated Lena in a challenge," Alex answered, giggling just a bit.

"Oh, thank you for clarifying," Astra said.

"Why did you want to talk, Astra?" Alex asked, exasperated. "You will see her later today, so you don't need to speak to me about her health."

"No, Alexandra, I do not, but you and I need to talk, to better understand each other, because if we cannot get along for the sake of Kara, her health will not improve and we will hold ourselves accountable for that," Astra said, hanging her head in shame. "Twice I have hurt my niece, my little one. The first time was Myriad, the second was in her recovery room when I broke her hand. I am not proud of either one, but I will not hurt her again, and to do that, I need to understand you. I would like to talk, Alexandra."

Alex was shocked, so shocked that she almost missed the chair as she sat down. "You want to talk?"

"Alexandra, I need to understand a woman who would kill so easily to protect my niece," Astra said, with something akin to pride.

_The memories of that night flooded Alex's senses. The feel of her sword as it slid through Astra's back. The sight of Kara, kneeling over her Aunt. The sound of her sister's grief as she cried. The smell of Kara's shampoo as she hugged Alex. The taste of bile in her mouth as guilt overwhelmed her._

"It was never easy, Astra," Alex said as she wept.

Astra knelt in front of Alex, having heard the pain. "Alexandra, it is acceptable for a warrior to cry."

"I failed her that night, Astra." Alex cried.

Recognizing the pain in the young woman's voice Astra knelt in front of her. "Alexandra, you did what you thought was right, to protect her, to protect your family."

"You don't understand." Alex cried "I killed you and I hid it from her, I was a coward, I took her hero from her and then hid behind someone else because I was afraid to lose my sister. She believed in you, I failed her by not listening, by doubting her."

Astra was shocked. "She told you this? I thought they were words, meant to comfort me." Astra stood, and walked to the edge of the balcony. The hunched and shaking shoulders the only sign that she was in tears.

Alex swallowed her tears and stood, walking slowly towards Astra. She placed her hand lightly upon the woman's shoulder. She had taken everything from her and yet she was trying, Alex, owed it to her and to herself to salvage something from their past. "I struck you with dishonor, General. I know you can never forget, but perhaps in your noble heart, you could forgive?"

Astra turned to face her niece's sister and extended her arms, which Alex grasped. "For my niece, Alexandra, I will try."

Alex smiled a sad smile and the two women turned and looked out over the city.

"You owe me a fair fight, just once, Alexandra," Astra whispered.

"I think I can make that happen, Astra," Alex smirked.

DEO Headquarters, Directors Office

"As you can see, Director Lane, alien hate crime is up 26.2% since Supergirl's disappearance, the regular crime rate is up 15.5% and Meta Crimes have increased by 38.4%. Even with the assistance, we have given the NCPD, they are unable to keep up with the crime rate." Brainy stated.

"Enough, Brainy." Lucy snapped, not meaning too. "I get it, without Supergirl the city is in bad shape, but she needs this."

"I'm not arguing to bring her back, Director. I am simply stating the facts as you requested," Brainy responded, hanging his head in shame.

"I know, Brainy. I'm sorry." Lucy tried to smile. "I wish Alex was here, she would know exactly what to do."

"Would I be a good sounding board?" J'onn asked as he entered the control room.

"J'onn, of course, you would be, but we are keeping you so busy." Lucy smiled.

"Lucy, Brainy we will do our best to protect the city, that is all Kara would have ever asked of us. She will be back, but she needs time to heal, to find herself again. She has given her all for this city, for this planet for almost 6 years, and we owe it to her to continue in her absence," J'onn said forcefully.

"We were using her as a crutch, a way to fight without doing it ourselves," Lucy said, ashamed of herself.

"But what if she doesn't return? What if the world has lost Supergirl?" Brainy asked.

"Then the sun continues to rise and we still have Kara in our family. As important as our mission is, it's as important as stopping alien threats is. Nothing is more important than making sure Kara heals, that she comes out of this stronger than before. She needs our support, not the guilt of not being here as Supergirl. Monday, she is stepping away from a life she has known for six years and she needs her family to support that decision, no matter what," J'onn spoke passionately about the girl he thought of as a daughter.

"I understand, but she is a symbol of hope to everyone on this planet," Brainy spoke, trying to understand.

"Then live up to her ideals, but give Kara a normal life, give her some peace, but mostly give her your support." J'onn stated.

Lucy bit her lip, it had been a long week. "Brainy, what day is it?" She asked.

"Friday." He answered, confused.

Lucy looked at J'onn, and she smiled. "It's game night."

J'onn smiled back and nodded his head.

The Buddhist Gardens

"Okay, girls, phones stay in the car, this is about peace, quiet and just reconnecting," Eliza said in her best impression of a caring grandmother.

All three got out of the car and headed into the gardens, leaving their phones hidden in the glove compartment of the SUV. The girls were walking ahead of her, and she noticed a bit more distance than normal between them. The conversation in the car may have been a bit much for Nia, so she sped up and moved between them taking them both by the hand. She looked down at Ruby, who smiled back up at her, so excited, so full of life. Nia smiled as well, breathing in all the scents, breathing out her stress. Kara had taught her so much, about being a reporter and being a hero, but most of all about living her life as she wanted, not letting everyone and everything else define who she was. She watched as Ruby shot forward looking out over the ocean that bordered the cliffs of the garden. Her sister had never supported her, had been hateful since she found out Nia had inherited their family's powers. She realized then that Kara and Alex and everyone else had given her something she thought she lost, they had given her family. With family you got support, caring, friendship and love. She took another breath and decided she would do for Kara, exactly what Kara had done for her, support her, no matter what. She smiled at Eliza and mouthed the words 'thank you' to her. Then she ran ahead to join Ruby. They spent another hour walking around the gardens until they ended up in the same spot as Alex and Kara had been in so many years ago, except now the two Lotus blossoms were surrounded by Gladiolus, representing honor. Her two granddaughters, she smiled at that thought, were standing arms wrapped around one another looking just like Kara and Alex. A single tear rolled down her cheek, she wiped it away as the girls turned and they headed back to the car. The two younger women checked their phones, a single text from Lucy on each. 'It's Gamenight.'

Back at the Condo

Alex was texting Lucy, trying to get permission to bring Astra in and use Kara's training room. She finally answered yes, and was sending a car.

While they waited, they continued to talk. Astra's questions were about Kara growing up and Alex asking about their life on Krypton. Slowly they were connecting, it may take months or years and they would possibly never be friends, but for Kara's sake they would get along.

The car arrived 15 minutes later and both women entered and were driven to DEO headquarters, where they were met by Lucy.

"The rules are quite simple ladies, you are not allowed to kill one another," Lucy spoke quite seriously. "J'onn and I will supervise, and if it gets out of hand we will separate you. Is this acceptable?"

"Yes, ma'am." The two women responded.

"Astra, there are training clothes through there." Alex pointed, already in her normal training clothes. "I'll meet you in the sparring room."

Ten minutes later Astra entered the sparring room. "Can you explain to me how we are going to spar without me breaking you, Alexandra?"

"This room contains red sunlight emitters, that limit your powers. Kara normally trains at about 40% but if it's okay with you I will take you to 50% since Kara has learned to hold back."

"That is acceptable," Astra responded.

The emitters came on and Astra grunted, as her powers drained and her body fought against the sudden change. "Sorry, Astra, I forget that it hurts. Kara has gotten used to it."

Astra looked up and grunted. "Does she ever win?" Then she breathed deeply, trying to center herself.

"At least 1 time out of 4." Alex smiled. Her sister was getting better and training with other people, there would come a day when she and Kara would be evenly matched. Alex was too much of a realist not to realize that. "Do you need a moment to get used to this?"

"Please," Astra spoke through her teeth. "My niece is a strong woman."

"The strongest person I know, Astra." Alex's smile showed in her eyes, and Astra watched her blossom with pride as she spoke of Kara.

"You love Kara very much?" Astra smiled, grunting a bit as she stood upright.

"I do, she is one of the best things in my life, Astra." Alex walked towards the woman, to help support her.

"Thank you, Alexandra, this is more uncomfortable than I would have thought." Astra grimaced as the younger woman helped her stand upright.

"Breathe in, relax, and breathe out." Alex coached. "Kara says the key is relaxing, don't fight it."

Astra took a deep breath, willing her body to relax and accept the changes she was feeling, she breathed out and took one more breath. "I am ready, Alexandra."

"Now we stretch, your body will take time to heal because you are used to being under a yellow sun, but it will take you a few hours to recover, so you will be sore, and you may bruise," Alex spoke, "I normally practice my Kata for about 10 minutes before I go up against Kara. Think you can follow along?"

"I will attempt." Astra was confused but willing to try.

Alex backed away and faced Astra, she placed herself into her beginning pose and nodded for Astra to follow. As she had done with her sister when they began training six years before, she began slowly so that Astra could follow. Astra was easier to frustrate than Kara, and Alex made it a point to repeat moves often so that the older woman could catch on. Astra, as a leader among her people, recognized what Alex was doing and smiled, this woman was more amazing than she thought. Alex was a healer, a scientist, a warrior, and a teacher, her little one could not have found a more perfect sister. She stopped daydreaming as Alex started to speed up her movements, punches and kicks, quicksteps and turns, combinations, Astra was amazed at Alex's technique, but like any warrior she was looking for a weakness, she thought she had found two but wasn't sure. Then the session ended, and Alex stretched to her toes. Astra centered herself and prepared for the upcoming fight.

Lucy and J'onn were looking on, Astra was sweating already, but this was to be expected, she was not used to this, not having her powers.

Astra relaxed into her favorite fighting stance, modified from something she had learned from Alura many, many years ago. Alex, modified her Kata stance slightly, knowing that Astra thought she had learned something from her stretching technique, Kara and her aunt were a lot alike and she was willing to bet Astra would fall for the same tricks.

Astra led with a spinning punch that Alex blocked easily with her forearm, thankful for the sunlamps, cause damn that hurt. Alex stepped forward with one of her combinations from her Kata and Astra smiled wickedly, blocking them easily, but was caught off guard by the sweeping kick that took her feet out from under her. She landed hard on her back as Alex fell back. 'The little warrior has claws and cunning.' She thought to herself. She rolled up onto one knee and moved quickly to her feet.

Alex smiled, now she realized who had taught Kara to fight, their techniques were identical. She had seen Kara use that roll in practice so many times she could time it in her head. Astra's was slower, but landing on her back probably hadn't helped. Astra charged her, leading with a forward kick, which Alex dodged by stepping to the left, but Astra was prepared and spun low with a sweep of her own to Alex's legs, dropping her onto the mat, as she followed up with a punch to Alex's stomach. Unfortunately for Astra, Alex had already rolled out of the way and she watched as Alex grabbed her wrist and twisted her into an armbar. Astra did the unexpected and rolled into the armbar, weakening Alex's grip and pulling her up at the same time. She sent a roundhouse at Alex's jaw, which missed as Alex leaned away. Alex punched out catching Astra once with a glancing blow on the cheek and missing with the follow-through.

Both fighters retreated for a moment. "Are you okay?" Alex asked.

"Bruised, but I will live, little warrior." Astra smiled, she was enjoying this. She stepped forward and was met by Alex coming at her with a modified Kryptonian kick. She caught the kick with her forearm and elbowed Alex in the ribs, stopping her forward momentum and dropping her to the mat.

'Shit, that hurt.' Alex thought as she slowly dragged herself off the mat, hoping to catch her breath. She heard Astra approaching and dropped onto her stomach as the low kick landed about where her head had been. She rolled onto her back and sprung to her feet, catching Astra off balance with a forward kick to the back. Astra caught herself and rolled to her feet. Then the two women closed in, punch, kick, knee and repeat. Neither could get the upper hand, then Alex dropped her guard and an elbow to her cheek. It snapped her head back and she dropped back a few steps to make sure she could still focus and that there was no blood.

"Are you okay Alexandra," Astra asked in a concerned voice, they were sparring and she had connected a hard blow. "I apologize, I did not mean to connect so hard, I need more practice at this."

"Astra, relax, focus, we are trained for this, I can take a punch, so relax. Please." Alex smiled, she hadn't had an opponent like this except for J'onn and Kara in so long, she forgot how much fun this could be. Not to mention, Astra was an exceptional fighter. 'Time to change tactics.' She thought to herself.

Alex changed tactics again, this time she decided on boxing. This was a skill she had learned from J'onn and she had modified it a bit to fit her smaller size and reach, but it was highly unlikely that Astra had any experience with American boxing. Bringing her arms into a guard position she bounced towards Astra, who was completely unprepared for this style of attack. She couldn't figure out the style, every time she attacked, Alex moved out of the way or blocked, no pattern and no set style. Then came the attack, left, right, knee, knee, left, left, right. She couldn't block fast enough and Alex had her backing away in defense. Her anger was rising and she threw a forward kick at her opponent, who was way to close. Alex changed style as soon as she saw the kick coming. She caught Astra's leg, swept her other out from under her and dropped Astra on her back, straddling her with her arms trapped.

"Yield!" Astra smiled.

Alex immediately backs off and stood up. Astra got to her feet and smiled, this woman was impressive and she fought with honor when it was necessary. They weren't friends, but her respect had definitely grown.

"Are you okay, Astra?" Alex asked, concerned, she had been holding back during the last bit and didn't think she had hit Astra at anywhere near full strength.

"I am fine, Alex." She rubbed her back just a bit, she would have bruises until her powers were restored. "You must teach me that last style, and tell me who taught you that kick."

"I'll teach you to box, but J'onn taught me, so I may miss some things. You mean the spinning kick, that's easy Kara taught me." She smiled. "How did you counter it?"

"As you said, that is easy, I taught it to Kara," Astra smirked. "There is a variation I can teach you, but at a later time."

The two women stepped out into the hallway, and immediately Astra's body started to work itself back up to normal power levels. She looked at Alex and realized, "Your eye is bruised, as well as your cheek."

"It was worth it Astra." Alex smiled.

"Are you two done?" Lucy interrupted. "We are doing something for Kara tonight."

"What's up?" Alex asked.

"Gamenight." Lucy smiled wickedly. "You two got volunteered to hit the stores for games."

"She'll love that," Alex said laughing.

"What's game night?" Astra asked, completely lost.

Text were sent, food was ordered, drinks, snacks, and games were bought. Kara was looking outside, staring at the red, blue and gold sunset through the windows of her recovery suite while talking to Lois. She was looking forward to a night with Astra. She was so lost in thought, she didn't even hear her family arrive, so she was completely surprised when she smelled pizza and potstickers as she turned around. Everyone was there, except Alura and Lena and she smiled at them all, a smile that reminded all them why she was a supergirl, with or without her powers.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Game night!"


	23. Game Night

"Gamenight?" Kara questioned.

"Yes!" Lucy said excitedly. "You need this Kara, we all do."

"Okay, but what are we going to play?" Kara asked.

Alex and Astra held up three bags of games from the local department store. "We have games, food and plenty of people, so let's get this started."

As usual, the first step was to pick teams, since nobody wanted to lose alone. Kara insisted on no special treatment so they rolled dice to see who would pick first. Lois rolled a six to take the first pick, and she chose Lucy. Clark frowned, then realized, it made sense so if one or the other had to stop to take care of Jon they wouldn't have to stop the game. He smiled to himself as well, he had seen the sisters going at each other for so long, it was nice seeing them try to get along. At first, he thought it was just them acting out for Kara's sake, but it seemed as if they both needed this.

They rolled the dice again and this time Eliza won. She chose Astra, to help the woman keep up with what would soon be going on. This continued until everyone got a partner. Nia chose Ruby, J'onn ended up with Alex and Kelly and Brainy made up the next team. In the end, Clark ended up with Lucy and Lois because he was the odd man out, which worked out because he ended up on a call before the first game could even begin. That left Sam teaming with Kara, which seemed like a bit of a set up to her, but she wasn't going to complain.

The first game that came out of the bag was Monopoly. Alex and J'onn immediately started trash talking.

"We got this, you are all going down." Alex bragged.

Nia and Ruby rolled their eyes together, and stuck their tongues out at Alex. Kelly laughed, "Beat us too badly and you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight with the girls." Then she winked and blew a kiss.

Lucy and Lois nodded to one another, then Lois laughed. "Don't count your properties before you purchase Danvers."

Eliza held her head in her hands, embarrassed at the way everyone was acting.

Kara just swallowed hard, whispering to Sam. "I am horrible at this game Sami."

Sam patted her hand. "Me too sweetheart."

They started playing and it became apparent very quickly that Alex and J'onn and Kelly and Brainy were the teams to beat. Surprisingly Kara and Sam were in third place until Alex added hotels to Boardwalk two moves before Kara and Sam landed there. "Sorry Sami," Kara whispered under her breath.

"We did better than I thought we would sweetie," Sam responded, squeezing Kara in a one-handed hug.

Five minutes later, the game ended and Alex started talking trash again as they counted their money. Kara counted up Alex and J'onn's winnings, announcing the total. Nia was still counting Kelly and Brainy's winnings as Kara spoke. She smirked at Alex and laughed. "Sorry Kelly and Brainy just beat you by forty-five dollars." Alex's mouth dropped open as Kelly stood up and pranced over to her side of the table.

"Close your mouth honey, you look like you just lost." Then she kissed Alex on the cheek and laughed, "Oh wait, you did."

Everybody took a few minutes to grab some snacks and something to drink, Kara made it all the way across the room on her own, although her balance was still a bit of an issue on the way back, Ruby moved fast enough to catch everything before it hit the floor.

"Thank you, Ruby," Kara said, laughing at herself.

"You're welcome, Aunt Kara." Ruby smiled as she took Kara's things to her table.

"Thanks, baby," Sam whispered while looking away from everyone. Ruby's smile just got wider.

Kara made her way back to her chair, plopping down into it. She took a deep breath, then asked, "What's next on beat up the poor sick Kryptonian list?"

Everyone laughed as Astra reached into the bag and pulled out, Trivial Pursuit, Disney Edition.

Everyone moaned, except Nia, Ruby, and Kara.

Kelly smiled, "I'm working with a living computer, we got this."

Brainy looked at his teammate and said, "Thanks for the confidence, but you obviously have not seen Kara's Disney knowledge at work."

"We got this Nia," Ruby smirked.

"Oh, really little Ms. Ruby? Sam laughed. "You win, you get off being grounded, and I will do laundry for the next month."

"What do you get mom?" Ruby asked with her eyebrow raised.

"You get to do laundry and dishes for the next 3 months." Sam smiled.

Alex just groaned this was going to be a long game.

Clark arrived back in time to catch this exchange. "Lois, you might want to give up now, Kara knows more about Disney, than Disney."

Kara smiled evilly at everyone, this was her game to lose. "Everybody but Nia and Ruby gets one pie piece each to start, any color."

"Little confident in yourself aren't you Kara?" Eliza asked, happy to see her daughter like this. Astra was equally proud, this was the Kara she remembered.

"Little One, are you so sure of your abilities." Astra smiled.

"Yes Aunt Astra, I even promise not to beat you too badly," Kara smirked.

Lucy jumped and put her first pie piece in place, followed by Kelly, then J'onn and Eliza. Then they rolled to see who would go first. Kara won and stared across the table as she moved her piece.

The first question was so easy, everyone moaned, name the seven dwarves. Kara rattled them off without taking a breath.

Nia gulped, "Uh oh!"

Ruby sat shocked, looking at her mom who was just smiling at her.

Everyone else had their turns and then Ruby and Nia's turn. They rolled and got a question they knew the answer to. So after one round, the game was essentially tied again, Kara's head start gift meant nothing to anyone now.

Kara's next turn resulted in another pie piece, and so it would continue until Kara/Sam versus Ruby/Nia seemed to be how the game would be decided. The teams were even, only a single dice roll would determine the winner. All the other teams were resigned to the fact that this game would end and they didn't stand a chance. Then Ruby piped up, "Let's go till someone answers a question wrong."

"Okay." Sam and Kara answered at the same time.

So it began, the great Trivial Pursuit challenge. Lucy and Alex split the deck and started asking questions. It was agreed that three misses would end the game. Kara missed one, only because she crossed up the live-action version of 101 Dalmations with the animated movie. "Sorry Sami."

Sam kissed the top of her head. "It's no big deal sweetheart, it's one question."

Nia and Ruby were up by one question but got overconfident and missed two back to back.

"See, we are right back in it." Sam smiled.

Lucy asked the girls their next questions, which was something historical. They missed the question and Kara looked to Sam and whispered the answer into her ear. "1958" Sam called out.

"Correct!" Lucy yelled. "And the winners are Kara and Sam. Thank God, I didn't think that would ever end."

Everyone stood to stretch, a three hour stretch of Trivial Pursuit was not what everyone was planning. They also needed to congratulate the winners, and J'onn stepped over to the bar to pick up a gift he had gotten for Kara. He carried to Kara while everyone was refreshing their drinks and food.

"This is for you, I know you have been learning to play, and-and I think it is good for you."

Kara took the gift, unwrapping it eagerly. "A chess set." She smiled, she had been teaching herself to play since shortly after she met Lena, and it had become a bit of an obsession for her. "Thank you J'onn, would you like to play."

"I would be honored."

"I'm going to go play poker with the girls, sweetheart." Sam smiled.

"Okay, thanks for teaming with me." Kara smiled.

"Of course." Sam laughed.

Astra came over then and asked to watch. "What is this game, Little One?"

"It's a strategy game in which your goal is to take the opponents king," Kara explained. "Each piece moves certain ways, and you can adjust your strategy to your opponent's playing style."

"That sounds very simple," Astra stated. "Is it truly that easy?"

"No Aunt Astra it's not, but it's difficult to explain everything, it will be easier if you watch." Kara smiled.

She and J'onn set up their pieces and began their game. Kara opened with a classic move and J'onn used a strategy she had seen before, but never attempted. Twenty-three moves later, a group had gathered around them, watching as Kara defeated J'onn in five more moves.

"Very good Kara, you not only have been studying, but you have also learned to improvise when strategy suddenly changes." J'onn smiled, incredibly proud of the young woman whom he considered a daughter.

"Let's see how she does against a Junior Chess Champion." Lois smiled.

They set up the board and started playing, 27 moves later, Lois laid down her King and yielded. "Damn girl, you are really good."

Kara smiled at the compliment as Clark came over and took his place in front of the boards. "Okay little cousin, let's see what you got." He smiled.

Astra smiled, she was enjoying this, and she was learning, Kara used each game as an example of what to do and what not to do. She was thoughtful and confident but she was not the braggart she and her friends pretended to be. All the people in this room were family and the banter was playful, meant to encourage, not belittle. She was so happy that her little one had discovered a family like this.

She was about to get up to see what the other girls were playing when Kara looked at her, pleading with her eyes. Astra smiled down at her Little One, and sat again, more than happy to be part of her life again. Alex looked and smiled at Astra, and grimaced when she heard Kara ask, "Where did you get that bruise?"

"We sparred Little One, Alexandra and I are trying to understand each other a little better. We got a little enthusiastic and some of our maneuvers landed harder than we expected. I want to apologize if this upsets you." Astra and Alex hung their heads.

"Who won?" Kara asked, smiling.

"Alexandra won and you and I need to talk about teaching moves without teaching alternatives," Astra answered. "If you are going to teach a move, you need to teach the variations, Alexandra had no idea I could defend against that kick."

"My Aunt taught me to never give away everything I knew, I was just following her advice, not to mention, other than me, what were the odds that she would face someone that knows Kryptonian martial arts." Kara laughed.

"A lesson you learned quite well Niece." Astra smiled. "Now let's see how well your cousin plays this game."

Clark opened the game with a strategy Kara had seen before. She smiled to herself because the same person that had taught Lena to play, had taught Clark. She watched and waited to see if he would adjust his strategy, and he didn't. Clark knew how to play Chess, but he wasn't as comfortable with changes to strategy as she was. While they were playing, Lena came in.

"Sorry to interrupt, I didn't realize," Lena said.

"Nonsense Lena, you are fine," Kelly responded. "Are you here to check on Kara?"

"Yes, I checked her this morning, but I have been in meetings all day and then working on some research about my mother, and thought before I go, I would check one more time," Lena said seriously.

"Well if you show me what to look for, why don't you take tomorrow off, and I will check her out, and if anything seems off, I will call you?" Kelly smiled.

"I don't mind," Lena argued.

"Lena, you need to rest and get better also, Kara wants that, okay?" Kelly wasn't beyond using the K-word to get Lena to behave.

Defeated, Lena dropped her head. "I'll take tomorrow off, just call if anything seems off, please."

Lena made her way over to where Kara was playing chess with her cousin. For once he didn't glare at her since he was busy studying, a Chessboard. Lena was confused, Kara played chess.

She stopped and watched the board, she recognized the strategy that Clark was using, it was very similar to Lex. Lex had taught Clark how to play chess, and he taught him the same strategy he taught her. But he wasn't adjusting his style to Kara's strategy, and if Lena was right, Kara would win in about four moves.

Four moves later, Clark laid down his king. "Checkmate." Kara smiled.

Astra smiled, she liked this game and was really enjoying watching her niece use her mind in this way.

"Can I check a few things, Kara?" Lena asked quietly.

"Sure, is everything okay? You checked me this morning?" Kara asked, a little worried.

"No, everything was fine, I just…Kelly convinced me to take tomorrow for myself, and I want to be sure everything is going okay."

"Oh, okay." Kara sighed.

"Would you be willing to play me?" Lena asked shyly.

"You want to play? Against me?" Kara asked back.

"If you would like."

Kara felt Astra's reassuring hand rest on hers. She took a deep breath and smiled. "That would be nice Lena."

Lena took fifteen minutes to check everything and make sure the computer was set up so that Kelly could check everything in the morning, she returned to sit opposite of Kara.

"You first Lena," Kara said, her fear of Lena momentarily forgotten as she was surrounded by family and felt almost normal.

The game started exactly as Kara predicted and Astra watched as everyone else started to gather around. They were all quiet, watching as two obviously gifted players watched the other, looking for any weakness they could find. After an hour Nia and Ruby stretched out in a couple of the chairs on the other side of the room. Lois and Clark left with Jon to head back to the condo at the hour and a half mark. After two hours Eliza and Kelly gave up and curled up in a couple of recliners. At the two and a half hour mark, the only person other than the players that were left was Astra, and she was slowly dozing off. At the three hour mark, Kara was studying the board and could not determine any scenario where she could win. Across the board, Lena Luthor had reached the same conclusion.

"Stalemate," they both said at the same time.

"Thank you, Kara, that was fun." Lena smiled.

Kara smiled back, "It was Lena, and challenging. I know I am leaving Monday after the press conference, but I play online, would you like to play?"

"That would be wonderful Kara, you can email the information, that way we can play from time to time." Lena smiled, sadly. It was dawning on her that very soon, Kara would be gone from National City.

"Lena, I'm truly sorry for what happened between us," Kara said as she patted Lena's hand.

"So am I Kara." As she rested her hand on Kara's.

Shortly thereafter Lena headed home for the night, Sam stood up from her seat across the room, where she had been watching and walked Lena to the door. "I'll make sure she sends you that email Lena." She smiled at Lena, who nodded gratefully.

At the same time, Kara was curling up beside her Aunt, ready to go to sleep.

"I'm very proud of you Little One." Astra smiled sleepily.

"Thank you, Aunt Astra." Kara yawned. "And thank you for giving Alex a chance."

"Family doesn't mean always getting along Little One, but it means supporting each other. Your sister has had a rough time adjusting to this, and she has carried decisions that would have crushed warriors many years older. I am happy you have her to protect you and to love you." Astra spoke into Kara's hair.

"I love you, Aunt Astra." Kara slurred a bit as she settled in beside her aunt, exhaustion overtaking her.

"I love you too, Little One." Astra smiled as she watched Sam move about the room, cleaning up and making sure everyone was comfortable.

She peeked over and smiled at Astra before covering Ruby with a blanket and kissing her lightly on the forehead. Astra smiled back, watching as Sam checked on each person, amazed at how caring and protective each member of Kara's family really was. Finally, Sam made her way over to them. "She did really well tonight." Sam smiled, listening to Kara snore ever so quietly, a sign that she was relaxed.

"She had the support of her entire family tonight. All of you should be commended for this, Kara needed this game night more than I think she would have admitted." Astra whispered.

Sam watched Kara sleeping, then she looked at Astra who smiled and nodded. Sam then leaned in and kissed Kara lightly on the cheek. "Good night Kara, I love you sweetheart." Then she slid her recliner closer to the bed and settled in for the night.

"Good night, Samantha," Astra whispered.

"Good night, General," Sam smiled.

Astra's final thought before falling asleep was that her niece had chosen her family very well.


	24. Request and Research

The night before had been long, but enjoyable. Kara had been relaxed when she'd fallen asleep and was the first one up. Most of her family was still here, Kelly and Alex were lying asleep on the spare bed, while Eliza and the girls were all asleep in recliners on the other side of the room. Lucy was asleep with her phone in her lap, probably talking to her fiancée when she passed out. Sam was in the recliner beside the bed, making Kara smile, they had made a good team last night. And finally, her Aunt Astra was still beside her on the bed, she snuggled for a moment and then slowly lowered herself onto the floor and headed across the room stopping to rest once before she reached one of the recliners by the windows, she set down to enjoy the sun shining through the window. From this view, she could pretend that she was still Supergirl, protecting her city. She knew in her head that she needed a break, her body, beaten as it was now had taken a lot of abuse over the last 6 years, and so it seemed had her psyche, but unfortunately, her heart didn't see it that way.

She felt a soft hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Kelly smiling down on her. "Hey Kara," Kelly whispered, "You okay?"

"Not really, I'm going to miss this Kells," Kara answered honestly.

Kelly knelt down beside her, placing her hand over Kara's, "I know hon, but you need to heal, and you can't—you won't let yourself do that here."

Kara pondered that bit of advice for a moment, then smiled warmly up at Kelly, "Thanks Kelly, want to join me, I'm just going to sit for a bit."

Kelly slid around to the recliner beside Kara and sat down, placing her hand where the young woman could reach her if necessary. She felt Kara's hand rest on hers and they just sat and enjoyed each other's silent company, until the rest of the group started to wake up.

Sam was the first one up, and she immediately noticed that Kara wasn't beside Astra. She looked around and saw Kara's blonde hair blocking Kelly's face as they sat in the recliners whispering back and forth. She relaxed when she heard Kara giggle slightly at Kelly's opinion on something her brother was up to. She'd come to adore that sound, she tried to remember when it had happened when she had fallen in love with Kara. She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes and let that laughter take her back in time…

_Kara was in town doing something, she hadn't really explained, but she was staying the whole weekend and wanted to know if Ruby and Sam wanted to hang out with her. She always included Ruby, hell, she'd even taken Ruby out on the town a few times just to let Sam go on a date while she was in town. They had spent the day at the Natural History Museum. Ruby had a blast and Kara was her happy self. When they got home, and Sam started dinner. "Can I help?" Kara had asked, "Actually, can I watch, I don't do very well in the kitchen."_

_Sam had taken pity on her that day and started teaching her some basics in the kitchen. Before long, Kara was cooking, nothing huge, just little things. Weekends with Kara became special surprises, even after she told them she was Supergirl._

Sam smiled her eyes still closed.

Supergirl. That had been a shock.

_Supergirl landed on the balcony scaring Ruby and Sam, her history with Supergirl was not a good memory for Sam, and for just a moment, the image of the Girl of Steele, beaten and bloody came to eyes. She shuddered and forced the memory down, as she moved to open the door. "Supergirl?" She panicked, there was blood on her cheek and cut on her leg._

_"__Sorry Sam, I need a place to rest, recover. Kara Danvers said I could trust you." Supergirl lied, her eyes falling to the floor._

_That was the moment, something bloomed, Kara trusted her, enough to share that with Supergirl, enough that Supergirl would take Kara's word over her own history with Reign._

_"__Of course, what do you need?" Sam asked._

_"__Just a nap, some rest in the sunlight." Supergirl smiled._

_"__I can open the drapes in the back bedroom, it gets plenty of natural light." Sam smiled back._

_Supergirl smiled bloomed larger, reminding Sam of someone, she pushed back the thought as she led her to the bedroom. Supergirl stepped into the bathroom to clean the blood and came back in. Sam had already opened the curtains and watched as the Girl of Steel unclipped her cape and pulled off her boots and settled onto the bed. She was asleep in a few minutes._

_Four hours later Sam heard shuffling in the bedroom and out stepped, Kara. Well, it was Kara, her hair up in a ponytail, with her glasses on, but dressed as Supergirl._

_"__Kara?" A very shocked Samantha Arias asked._

_"__Aunt Kara?" Ruby's grin was huge._

_"__I'm so sorry, I didn't want to tell you like this, but I couldn't lie anymore, you both live so far away, no one knows I come here, and you will be safe, people can't use you against me," Kara gushed, the words tumbling from her mouth. "I won't come back if you don't want me to."_

_"__So, all this time, you've known I was Reign and you still came, knowing what I did to you?" Sam questioned._

_Kara nodded, clearly worried she was about to lose two important people in her life._

_"__That's why you called momma Sam when you came in," Ruby cut in._

_Kara nodded again._

_Both mother and daughter stepped forward and wrapped their friend in a hug._

_"__You're staying for the weekend Kara," not a question, but a request from Sam._

Sam smiled one more time, shook her head and got up to check on Ruby. She moved across the room and shook her daughter awake. "Hey sleepyhead, you ready to get up?"

"Give me a few more minutes, momma." Ruby smiled sleepily from her spot, then rolled over and pulled her blanket up to her chin.

Shaking her head, she heard Nia, "I'll get her back up in a few minutes, Sam."

Smiling, Sam responded, "Thanks, Nia." Then she headed directly in Kara's direction.

Kara perked up at Sam's approach, "How are you doing, partner?"

Sam's smile widened at the comment, "Doing really well, how'd you sleep sweetheart."

"Good, I think the late-night and all my family here helped," her smile seemed even brighter.

Kelly stood to leave, "I'm going to go check on Alex. Then we are going to head back to the condo and get everything cleaned up and packed."

"We are going too, once everyone is up," Sam responded, "I think Astra wanted to spend the day with Kara."

If possible, Kara perked up even more at that statement.

While everyone was getting ready to go, Eliza came over and sat with her daughter while everyone else scurried around getting things together and cleaning up. "Hey sweetie, how are you feeling today?"

"I feel really good mom," she smiled as she answered. She'd always taken for granted that Eliza knew how much she loved her, but now, after this scare, she was determined to show her as well. "I'm nervous about Monday."

"The press conference?" Eliza asked.

"Yeah, Lois helped me write some stuff down, but it just seems so strange to be walking away after all this time," Kara answered while twisting her hands.

"Kara, baby, you have been Supergirl for six years, you have saved the planet, the city, maybe the whole universe. You need this. I know you miss your powers, but you are still Kara, and more than Supergirl, you need to remember that." Eliza said through burning eyes, as she fought the tears that wanted to fall.

Kara looked up at the woman who had taken care of her while she was here on Earth, and her heart swelled at the love she saw in those eyes. She reached out and took Eliza's hand in her own, "Thank you mom, I love you."

"I love you too, Kara." Eliza smiled.

Kara looked over Eliza's shoulder and saw Alex, Lucy, and Astra talking. She was really wishing for her enhanced hearing at that moment.

"Alex, are you sure? Are you positive you want to step down?" Lucy asked, honestly shocked by the request.

"Lucy, you are better at the administrative side of the job already. And if I am going, to be honest, I need to be able to spend more time with Kara and Kelly. Maybe I can work a more stable schedule, become a training officer, or medical. I need a break, Luc." Alex answered honestly, she was exhausted, and almost losing her sister had pushed her even harder. Having Kelly in her life was making a difference as well, Alex smiled as Kelly walked around checking on everyone.

Astra spoke up then, "I would like to offer whatever services I can to your DEO as well Director Lane. My niece has become a positive influence on this world, and if I can, I would like to carry it on in her absence."

Alex and Lucy were both speechless.

Finally, Alex broke the silence, "That would be an excellent idea Lucy, but she is going to need training."

Lucy smiled as she held out her hand, "Welcome to the DEO Astra."

Kara watched as her Aunt and Lucy shook hands, she had a pretty good idea of what had just happened, and she was happy with that decision, especially if her Aunt was happy.

Astra came over to keep Kara company while everyone was finishing up their last-minute preparations. Sam, Ruby, and Nia came by first since they were having the car dropped off this morning. Everyone got hugs and Ruby held on for a little longer than normal. "Love you, Kara."

"Love you too Rubes, I'll see you tomorrow or Monday." Kara smiled as she hugged her tighter.

Sam was headed towards the door and accidentally overheard the exchange. The smile that spread on her face would last the rest of the day.

Finally, just Alex and Kelly were left. "We have to go and pick something up, then we are headed back to the condo, Kelly went over all your readings this morning and Lena was right. The kryptonite is almost completely cleared from your system." Alex smiled, "And we ordered breakfast to be delivered, it should be up in about 15 minutes or so."

"Thank you, sis, thanks for everything, the last few weeks you have been even more amazing than usual." Kara smiled, really smiled at her sister, standing up to hug her. Alex's eyes closed as she leaned into the hug, relishing the fact that her sister was coming back.

"Honey, I hate to do this, but our appointment is in less than 30 minutes and I want to get the best pick." Kelly interrupted with a grimace on her face. These girls needed this, but there was a surprise for Kara that she needed to pick out today, or she would miss her chance.

The sister's separated, and Kelly stepped in and kissed Kara on the cheek, "Don't forget your bike today, and please eat a little okay?" She added softly, "Love you, Kara."

"Love you too Kells, thank you for this morning. Are you coming with James tomorrow?" Kara asked.

"Haven't decided yet, you think he might need a babysitter?" Kelly laughed.

"Only if he plays me at chess." Kara laughed back.

Finally, it was just Kara and Astra. "So, the DEO Aunt Astra?"

"I plan to continue your legacy Little One." Astra smiled as she answered, then stood to walk over to the dumb waiter, moments before the bell sounded letting them know that breakfast was delivered. Kara sat and watched, pouting as she thought to herself, 'so that's how that feels.'

As they sat down to eat breakfast, a brunette CEO was waking up on the other side of town. Lena rolled over picked up her phone, blinking as she read the time. She closed her eyes and laid her head back down on her silk covered pillow. It took thirty seconds for her eyes to pop open and panic. "Kara," she whispered to herself and jumped up rushing to get everything ready to head to L Corp. Then her phone buzzed, and she snatched it up. There was a text from Kelly, and suddenly Lena remembered she had the day off.

Kelly: 'She's fine, all readings were dead on. Alex checked behind me. Enjoy your day off.'

Lena laid her phone down and took a deep breath, she sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her face, that's when she noticed the smells coming from the kitchen. She slid out of her pajamas and into a pair of sweats and padded, barefoot, into the kitchen. "Hey, Lena K. you ready for some breakfast?" Andrea asked smiling.

"Andi?" Lena looked confused, "How did you know I wouldn't be at the office?"

"Sam texted me last night, said you were taking the day off." Andrea smiled, "So I figured you could use some company, maybe we can go over the information about your mom, or just relax and have a girl's day?"

Lena smiled through the tears that were forming in her eyes, no one had done this for her except Kara in so long, "Or we can do both, we can eat breakfast, do some research, watch TV, maybe just catch up."

"Whatever you want to do Lena K, today, I am all yours," Andrea smiled as she turned back to the pancakes she was cooking.

After breakfast, both women entered Lena's study and set out the data that Kara and her friends had found out about her mother. "Your investigators found a lot of information Lee. Mind telling me who?"

"Andi, I can't, it's just something I can't share, not right now." Lena frowned, she was beginning to understand how Kara felt, walking around hiding a secret all the time. "I promise, when they tell me it's okay, you will be the first to know, okay?"

Andrea considered pushing the issue farther, but quickly decided against it, she had finally gotten back into Lena's life, she was going to ruin it with her stubbornness.

"So, where do we start?" Andrea queried.

"The beginning. I did a little research at work, seems my mother was a research biologist for L Corp, well Luthor Corp at the time. She was working in Metropolis when she met Lionel, I think." Lena started off sharing what she had discovered from employment records.

"So, is there a video or anything from the lab?" Andrea asked, leaning over Lena's shoulder.

"No, the project wasn't classified, it was backed by father's medical division, it was a cancer drug of some sort, the records aren't on the server at work. They are in the archives at L Corp, I've got a request in for the records on Monday." Lena smiled.

"Cancer? Isn't that what you were working on in Metropolis?" Andrea smiled, what a coincidence.

"It was, kind of nice that I was honoring her memory without even knowing it," Lena smiled, her genuine smile, the one that made Andrea's smile brighten.

"Maybe you could combine the two?" Andrea shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe," Lena stared off into space a moment.

With a full stomach, Kara and Astra returned to their seats by the window. "Would you like to teach me a little more about chess, Little One?"

"Really Aunt Astra? You really want to learn?" Kara was surprised.

"Kara, watching you last night was fascinating, even the match with Lena, you two were evenly matched, although I noticed that you and she made several mistakes or missteps in your strategies," Astra spoke thoughtfully. "You two know each other quite well, and you were moving your pieces according to emotional attachment, instead of strategy."

"How do you do that?" Kara quizzed, "You picked up on that when I was little."

"With no children of my own Kara, you were like my own, your moods became easier to read the more I was with you, and you have always made decisions based upon emotion, it is what makes you the person you have grown to be," Astra said with pride. "Last night, it was both of you, instead of watching the board, you two were watching each other, I believe the match would have ended under similar circumstances but would not have been as long."

"And you learned all of that after watching me play for just a little while last night?" Kara smiled.

"No Little One, I've learned this because I have loved you your entire life," Astra responded.

Kara smiled and pulled out her tablet, bringing up a few websites that taught chess, and a few that had easy to learn strategies. She explained the set-up of the board and the movements of the pieces. "The first game with be for you to learn movements, then we can move to strategy," Kara explained.

Forty-five minutes later their first game ended in Astra's defeat after thirty-two moves. "You are holding out on me Auntie." Kara laughed.

"I watched you play last night, Little One." Astra smiled brightly as she continued, "and I have studied strategy for most of my life. Plus, you seem distracted, are you tired or is there something troubling your thoughts?"

"I need to ask you to fulfill a promise for me while you are helping the DEO, Auntie," Kara said, not looking up as she arranged the pieces on the board.

Astra reached down and stopped Kara's hands. "Kara, I know how important promises are to you, so whatever it is, I will do my best to help you."

"I—I need you to take care, Lena, while I am away, I made a promise to always protect her and I can't now. Can you please keep my promise, Aunt Astra?" Kara pleaded.

Astra was silent for a long moment, weighing her words carefully. "This is important to you Kara?" Kara only nodded, as Astra continued, "Then I shall do my very best Little One."

"Thank you, Auntie," Kara smiled.

They set the board for another match and started to play.

"So, we have an address in Metropolis and then just before you were born, an address in Ireland," Andrea verified.

"Apparently, my mother was born in Ireland, graduated early from Oxford with a master's in biology and moved to Metropolis where she found employment at Luthor Corp," Lena stated, impressed. "It seems her thesis was on cancer research."

"From there it looks like her research gained attention from both the medical department at Luthor Corp and then from Lionel himself," Andrea was reading. "He visited quite often after her research got rolling forward."

"I wish I had gotten my hands on the research yesterday," Lena grumbled.

"You'll have it Monday sweetie, then you can go over it at work." Andrea was rubbing circles on her back, helping Lena relax.

"Thanks, Andi, how about we order some take out and watch a movie or something for a little while?" Lena smiled.

"Sounds good Lena K." Andrea lifted her phone to dial for takeout.

Kara and Astra had been playing the same game for almost 3 hours at this point. Lena had been a worthy opponent and it seemed that Astra had learned a great deal watching them play last night. She was considering her next move when Astra asked her, "So Little One, why is Lena so important to you."

"She became a friend, someone who accepted me for who I was as Kara Danvers. She became a lot more to me Auntie. Someone I could trust, someone I had faith in, someone I could…", Kara stopped.

"Someone you could love, Little One?" Astra asked quietly, the game forgotten for a moment.

"Yes, Aunt Astra," Kara responded, holding her head in shame at the admission.

Astra stood and walked around the small table, kneeling in front of her niece, who had survived so much, who had given so freely of herself for the good of her adopted world and had been brought down by a secret and a single emotion. "Kara, my dear Little One, you loved Lena, and I think she loved you as well, but things have changed now. You still care, but you no longer are willing to give up the world for Lena Luthor."

Kara couldn't speak, when Lena came near now, love was not the emotion she felt. Now she felt shame, guilt and most of all fear. Shame because her lies have caused this, guilt for hurting her friend and fear because if this had happened once, it could happen to her again, at Lena's hands or the hands of someone else. She was not the same person she had been the day she walked into the Fortress with Lena; she wasn't sure she would ever be that person again. On Monday, Supergirl would face her adopted planet and step away, in her place Kara Zor-El Danvers would go home to Midvale and heal.

Kara allowed herself to be wrapped in the arms of her Aunt, to just enjoy the moment she was in right now. As she did, she looked back at the board and smiled. "Checkmate Auntie," as she moved her Queen.

At National City Airport James Olsen disembarked from his flight and headed towards the baggage claim, as he waited, his thoughts drifted back to his first flight into National City. A chance to advance his career and do a favor for Clark. Little did he realize how many meetings Kara Danvers would change his life. She had helped him become a hero in his own right and had given both him and his sister a family. Now it was their turn to help Kara.

On the other side of the terminal where the private flights landed, Catherine Jane Grant disembarked from her plane. She may no longer be the Queen of All Media, but her friend was hurting, and it has taken a great deal of pull to get herself back to National City before Monday. The young woman had changed Cat's life, and she felt as if she needed to be here for whatever was coming.

At National City Police Headquarters, volunteers were being briefed on Monday's press conference. Supergirl was making an announcement, and L Corp had requested extra police presence. While the team was headed up by the SWAT commander, the highest-ranking officer on site was Captain Margarita Sawyer. She was here as a volunteer because no way in hell was Kara Danvers taking that stage without her around. Regardless of what had transpired between her and Alex, they were still family, and that mattered to Maggie.


	25. Secrets Shared

Kara woke up slowly, she could hear voices, and they sounded far away, she tried to focus her hearing, frowning, before she remembered that her hearing was as normal as a human's right now. She rolled over and saw Astra across the room with Lena. She felt her mouth go dry and her heart rate started to pick up. Astra picked up Kara's heart and another sound, coming from her stomach. She rushed to Kara's side, taking her good hand. "Kara, Little One, breathe, take a breath."

Lena was staring at the readouts, the heart rate was fear, but her stomach, those readings were alarming, Kara never got sick like that, it had to be a side-effect of the vaccine. "Astra, get her in the shower quickly!" Lena yelled.

Not bothering to be told twice, Astra lifted her niece up and rushed her into the bathroom, getting her into the shower. She rested Kara on her feet and watched as she dropped to her knees, heaving, then throwing up into the drain. The residue in the bottom of the shower had a greenish tint, but with each heave, a little less came up.

Lena followed, slowly, letting Astra know she was coming in. Kara was in the shower with Astra holding her hair up and away from her mouth. Lena noticed the greenish tint, but she hadn't expected this. "Kara, oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't know this would happen."

Kara looked up at Lena, there were tears in her eyes and her face was splotchy, from trying not to throw up. She tried to shake her head, but the motion seemed to hurt, and she turned her head back to the drain and promptly threw up a second time. Lena left to run upstairs and get some Ginger Ale and crackers from her bar. By the time she returned Astra was wearing a pair of Kara's pajamas and was sitting with her back to the bathroom door. The sight was a little too much for the sleep-deprived CEO and she covered her mouth, trying, unsuccessfully, not to laugh. A snort escaped her nose and Astra looked up, clearly not amused, which was even funnier, and Lena gasped and started laughing. After a moment Astra chuckled a sound that was amazingly similar to Kara's laugh.

"I'm sorry, Astra, I didn't mean to laugh, I'm used to seeing Kara dressed like that, she did it whenever we had girl's nights," Lena said, her smile faltering at the thought. Another reminder of how far she and Kara had fallen.

Astra stood and walked over to Lena. "Lena, you and my niece were close. She does not forget her friends. Right now, she is damaged, and she needs to heal. She still cares for you, but her fear is real. Her shame and guilt are overwhelming her as well."

"What?" Lena was shocked, "She has no reason to be ashamed."

"Lena, as much as you wish to take sole blame, Kara also blames herself for what led to our current situation, her shame and guilt are because of how she treated you. Kara made you a promise to always protect you, and because of her identity, she failed in that promise," Astra said, holding her hand up to stop Lena from interrupting. "You are important to her, Lena, she craves your friendship, but she is not ready yet, that is why she asked me to uphold her promise to you."

"She-she asked you?" Lena stuttered, not surprised because of course Kara would make sure her family and friends were taken care of in her absence.

"She did, she doesn't want you to be alone Lena, she wants to make sure you are taken care of," Astra spoke solemnly, "and as much as its pains me to admit this, I will be a member of the DEO while she is gone, to uphold her legacy, but I may need your help."

"My help?" Lena said, fighting back tears. "Why would you need my help?"

"Lena, you are important to my niece, and she believes in you as she believed in me, we have both hurt Kara in our own ways. When I was alive, the first time and I had many contacts, people I could gather information from, but those contacts are gone now and I think we can do good together Lena Luthor, but we have to do so in Kara's name, to continue the legacy of Supergirl."

"For Kara." Lena smiled through the tears. She may have broken her friendship with Kara, but she was determined to somehow become friends again.

Astra moved back to the bathroom door as Kara stepped out. "Sorry, Auntie, I didn't mean to." Her face was still a little splotchy, but Astra's hearing could no longer make out the roiling of her stomach.

Lena approached slowly with a glass of ice and some ginger ale. "Here, Kara, I'm going to set this on your table, please try to drink some. It will help your stomach settle."

"Thank you, Lena, sorry about that." Kara breathed slowly; her stomach was still hurting from throwing up.

"Nonsense, Kara, I didn't even think of this effect, your body has been fighting the kryptonite all week," Lena explained, "This means your body may be done processing the blood poisoning. May I take a small blood sample?"

Kara plopped down in the nearest recliner and held her arm out. Lena approached and watched Kara cringe, then watched as Kara focused herself, took a deep breath and stopped shaking. Lena took a single vial of blood and stepped over to the lab equipment, loading the sample in. A moment later the sample was visible on the screen. Kara turned in her chair to look at the sample with Lena and Astra. There was no sign of green anywhere in the sample. She sighed in relief and so did Lena.

Lena checked several other readings and tests. "This hopefully means no more throwing up," Lena said as she turned to look at Kara, who had fallen asleep. She smiled as she approached and put the chair into its reclined position and covered Kara with a light blanket. Kara snored slightly but didn't stir. Lena stood up and caught Astra's eye. Astra nodded, smiling, Lena smiled back, sadly. Perhaps she and Kara did have a chance to be friends again. Except for Alex, and maybe Lucy, everyone seemed genuine with her and they were determined that she deserved help and a chance to heal. She also realized that she needed to talk to Andrea, and let her know what was going on, but she had no idea how to approach that conversation.

While Lena was going over the rest of Kara's test results, Astra grabbed Kara's tablet and sat down beside her niece to read and learn a little more about the city she was about to become a protector of. Out in the hallway though, a friend of Kara's was about to re-enter her life for the first time in months.

"Jimmy, you will behave around Lena," Kelly said firmly. "Kara is still fragile, and part of her healing is knowing that Lena is being treated fairly by her family."

"My god, Kells, I'm not going to bite her," James responded a bit more forcefully than he intended.

The door slid open and Kelly smiled as she noticed Kara in the recliner asleep and Astra sitting in Kara's bed. Astra looked up at their entry, smiling at the dark-haired young woman and the man she assumed was her brother James. "Astra, is she okay?" Kelly whispered.

Astra nodded pointed her chin towards Lena. Kelly understood and moved to talk to Lena to find out what was going on. "She's clean, no sign of kryptonite in her system at all, Kelly." Lena smiled softly.

Kelly took Lena's hands in her own and smiled, "Thank you, Lena. I'm going to step out in the hall and call Alex. Will you be okay with James here?"

"I'll be fine, I am under the protection of the House of El after all," Lena said, taking a deep breath and lifting her chin.

Kelly nodded and looked to her brother who rolled his eyes. She was already dialing Alex before she stepped into the hallway, "She's clear, Al, no more kryptonite in her system." She heard her girlfriend breath hitch over the phone. "She's going to be fine, love." Tears were streaming down her face as she said the words, 'so much for being professional' she thought as she wiped the tears away.

"James," Lena greeted.

"Hello, Lena, I'm assuming this means she will be okay?" James asked.

Lena nodded. "It's up to her body now." She refused to give him any more information, that had to be Kara's decision. "Astra, I'm headed home now, if she has any more issues, please—please tell her to call, or you call for her." Astra nodded, checking to make sure that Kara's phone was in its usual spot on the table. "And make sure she gets at least some water into her system," Lena added as she entered the hallway. Kelly was still talking to Alex, but she stopped Lena. She handed Lena the phone, which Lena placed to her ear.

"Lena," she heard Alex on the other end, taking a deep breath, "thank you, thank you for saving her again."

"You welcome, she threw up this morning, Alex, she's going to be in pain for a bit, sorry, I didn't see that one coming," Lena explained softly.

"Are her stitches okay? Does mom need to come in?" Alex got out quickly.

"No, her stitches are okay, I left some ginger ale and some crackers, Astra will make sure she eats. I'm sorry again Alex," Lena whispered the last words.

"You couldn't have known Lena. It's okay." Alex tried to reassure her, it still made her skin crawl a bit, being nice to Lena seemed wrong somehow, but she reminded herself again, this is for Kara.

Lena handed the phone back to Kelly, who smiled and mouthed thank you to her. Lena smiled and headed to the elevator, she heard Kelly say I love you too Alex before Kelly returned to Kara's room. As the elevator closed, it dawned on her, she still didn't know how to talk to Andrea.

Back in the room, Kelly noticed James sitting across the room. She ignored him for a moment and headed over to speak to Astra. "Hello, Astra, I heard she had a rough time this morning?"

"She was violently ill in the shower for a few moments, but Lena assured me that she will be fine, and Kara confirmed her readings when they looked over her blood sample," Astra answered. She wouldn't show it in front of Kara, but the events in the shower had frightened her, she hadn't understood what was happening at first, and the green in Kara's vomit was very unsettling. Even though she knew Kryptonite had almost no effect on her anymore, the sight of it still upset her.

Kelly placed her hand lightly on Astra's. "She'll be fine, Astra, Lena reassured me and Alex."

"Thank you, I don't like seeing her," Astra looked over at Kara, "like this."

"I understand," Kelly responded, none of them liked seeing Kara in her current state, but she was not blind to Astra's feelings. Astra still had regrets from before she had died, and Kelly was smart enough to allow the woman her little moment of guilt.

"Your brother?" Astra changed the subject.

"Yes, he is a dear friend of Kara's, but a bit overprotective," Kelly answered, trying to apologize.

"I understand. He knew me from before?" Astra asked.

"Yes ma'am, but he needed to learn the same thing everyone else has, you love Kara, you made mistakes," Kelly stated.

"Grave mistakes," Astra interjected.

"Hmm, yes, but Kara believed in you then, and she still does. I think all of their feelings for you stem, not only for what you did but also guilt that they didn't listen to Kara about you," Kelly explained.

Astra cocked her head to the side, "I'm not sure I understand?"

Kelly thought for a moment, "People, me included, have a tendency to misjudge Kara's ability to judge people. She's not jaded, she sees people for who they are. We are all programmed to see faults and Kara doesn't. People see her as oblivious or naïve, but it isn't that, she sees good in everyone, and does her best to help people see it in themselves."

"Does Alexandra know how lucky she is to have you in her life, Kelly?" Astra smiled; this young woman understood her niece much better than Astra herself.

"Yes ma'am, and I remind her every day." Kelly blushed.

James picked that moment to walk up. "So, what did she say?" He asked while he pointed his chin at the door, and disregarding Astra.

Kelly looked at James, disappointed in his attitude. "James this is Astra, Kara's au…"

"I know who she is, I came to see Kara." James snapped.

"Excuse me, young man," Astra spoke as she stood, "this woman is a member of my niece's family, you owe her more respect than that."

James, not one to back down, "She's my sister as well and I am Kara's friend."

"That does not excuse your attitude. I understand if you have issues with me, I have made mistakes in my past, things I am not proud of, things I would change if I was able to." Astra spoke, her chin up and back straight. "Kara has forgiven my past, she believes in me, as I'm sure she believes in you. I am sure you have made mistakes in your past."

"My mistakes didn't cause injuries to my friends or family." James snapped back.

Astra's eyes flared orange at this comment, but instead of losing her temper, she responded, "You are correct young man, and I have to carry that guilt. I will not deflect it, nor will I be drawn into an argument with someone that Kara considers family."

Kelly, looked at her brother, what he had said was a low blow, and she couldn't let it pass. "Like you never put anyone in danger with your antics. How many times did you put the team in danger, Kara, Alex, Winn? Because you wanted to play hero."

Astra watched the interaction between siblings, liking Kelly, even more, the girl had a backbone, and she would stand up for her friends and family. Kara's sister had chosen well.

"Well James, how many civilians did you endanger, what about you, did you ever consider what might happen to you, your family. All this," Kelly waved her arms around the room, "this is because of what Kara chose, and it hurts her every time she puts someone in harm's way, even the woman responsible for this."

Astra laid a gentle hand on Kelly's shoulder and the young woman turned to face her, tears of anger in her eyes.

"Family is important to your sister James, perhaps you should reconsider your words before you use them as weapons," Astra said calmly.

James turned on his heel and moved to the other side of the room. He stood staring out the window at the city, his mistakes coming back at him. His relationship with Kara had seen many ups and downs, and at the mention of his friends, his mind was flooded with his own mistakes. He swallowed hard, through everything, every up and down, every disappointment she must have felt in him, she never stopped supporting him or caring about him. Astra had done wrong, she owned it, she lived up to Kara's faith, and she was protecting his sister from his rude behavior.

After what seemed like an eternity, he returned to face his sister and Astra, "I apologize, Astra, you're right, if Kara supports you, then I should not judge you. She had faith in me through many bad situations, and I wouldn't be the man I am now if it wasn't for her." He held out his hand, which Astra grasped and shook. "Kelly, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you." He finished, turning towards his sister.

Kelly smiled and hugged her brother. She mouthed thank you to Astra who smirked. The young man would be a good soldier, perhaps, based upon the condition of his knuckles, he had been one once.

"She is better, not completely well, but she is on a path of healing, thank Rao," Astra spoke, the pride in her niece obvious in her voice.

"So, what is the press conference about?" James asked both women.

Astra thought for a moment, and was about to speak when Kara squeaked out, "James you came."

A genuine smile overtook his features as he stepped to Kara's side and started to talk. "Hey Kar, how are you feeling?"

"Sore, throwing up is horrible." She smiled. "My whole stomach hurts, but the Kryptonite is gone. Now the real work starts, my powers won't be back in full for 3-4 months according to Lena."

"Oh wow, Kara, I'm sorry," James spoke softly.

"It's okay, I'm going to take a break from being Supergirl for a little while. With my powers gone, I won't be able to do what I normally do." Kara smiled, a little sadly. "I need to get away, James, my body needs a break, my mind needs a break."

James looked at his friend, seeing her stress, her lack of belief in herself at this point. "Kara, it's okay, everyone needs a break, you included. Is there anything I can do, anything you need?"

"For you to come and visit more often." She smiled, "And a little help, I think I may be writing a book. Supergirl's book."

"You're going to write your story?" James asked incredulously.

"Lois thinks it might be a good idea, and it will give me something to do," Kara spoke, sounding somewhat proud of herself for considering this project.

Kara and James continued to talk, about everything they had in common, and then they turned to the technical aspects of Kara writing a book, and Astra and Kelly decided to move over to the windows.

"Astra, you don't have to answer, but how are you doing?" Kelly asked.

Astra smiled, "I am doing well, it is very odd to be back, having Kara here has helped, but right now, she needs to focus on herself, on healing."

"That's true Astra, but if she thinks you are holding something back, she won't stop until you admit it." Kelly laughed a bit.

"You know my niece that well?" Astra asked.

"I know what Alex has told me and what I have seen in her interactions with everyone," Kelly answered honestly. "I'm a psychiatrist, my job is to try and understand people and help them with issues that might be bothering them or holding them back. Kara is a bit of an open book; she doesn't try to hide her emotions. It's actually quite refreshing."

"She has always been open about her emotions. It is surprising to me, her mother, Alura, was an Adjudicator, she did not allow emotion to overshadow her duty. Zor-El, her father, was a scientist, he sometimes acted as if emotion could cause an experiment to fail, so he hid his as well. And me, I am the same as them, as a member of the Kryptonian military, I was expected to execute my orders or have them executed without questioning them." Astra took a breath, to think through her next words. "Kara was a brilliant child, she was chosen to the Science Guild at a very young age, but she was also an artist, which on Krypton was an unusual combination. She flourished, and she was as she is now, full of hope, vision, and understanding. For such a young woman, she has wisdom beyond her years. Her parents and I, we weren't really living until she blessed our lives."

Lena arrived back at her condo, still puzzling over how she could talk to Andrea. She didn't, no she couldn't give away Kara's secret, but Andrea had been here for her and deserved an explanation. She pressed the up button for the elevator and was absentmindedly playing with her phone. She looked at the screen, at the text messages, then scrolled through the numbers. Just a few months ago, she knew who she would have called, now she was ashamed to even stop on Kara's number. She needed advice, and whatever their current situation, Kara always heard her out. She finally gave up as the elevator door opened. Instead of entering the elevator, she tapped the phone to dial Kara's number.

"Lena? Is everything okay? Are you okay?" Kelly asked as she answered Kara's phone.

"No, maybe, I don't know." Lena answered, confused by her own decision, "I need advice and I could always ask Kara's advice, and I need it now. I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking."

"Hold on Lena." Kelly moved the phone from her mouth, "Kara, honey, Lena needs you to answer a question."

Lena cringed, she could picture the look of horror on Kara's face, then she was shocked, when Kara whispered, "Lena, is everything okay? Can I help with something?"

Biting her lip to keep from crying, Lena smiled a little. "I need some advice, and I need your permission." She explained the situation with Andrea, how she was helping Lena cope with everything. "I need to tell her something Kara, please tell me what to do?"

On the other end of the phone, Kara smiled just a bit, a memory of a promise flitting through her mind. "You can tell her Lena, tell her the truth, that you are treating Supergirl, that I asked you not to share it with anyone. You cannot tell her I'm Kara, please."

"Thank you, Kara, I know how hard this has been on you, and I'm s…" Lena was speaking as Kara interrupted.

"Stop saying you're sorry Lena, you are helping me, I am keeping my promise to help you. I failed you Lena, but you, you need to stop saying it. You need to start thinking about your healing, okay?" Kara was practically begging.

"Okay Kara, thank you," Lena spoke softly, unable to hold back the tears.

Kara handed the phone back to Kelly, trying very hard not to wipe her hand on her pants. "Goodbye, Lena." She took a deep breath trying to get her fear back under control.

Lena took a deep breath and slid her phone back into a pocket. She pushed the button on the elevator and the door popped open immediately. Lena entered the elevator and pushed the button for her floor.

As she walked down the hallway, she kept taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She opened the door and Andi was sitting on the couch, wearing jeans and a light-colored blouse, her bare feet tucked underneath her. A hot cup of coffee on the table in front of her and her tablet in her hand. Her hair was not in its usual neat style, instead, it was pulled into a loose messy bun, tied up with a scrunchy with a pen in the middle. Her reading glasses were on the tip of her nose. She looked up from whatever she was reading and noticed Lena's red eyes.

"Lena K, are you okay, you've been crying?" She asked as she removed her glasses and stood up to walk over.

Lena walked toward Andrea at the same time, and she let the taller woman pull her into a hug. "Andi, we need to talk please."

Andrea led Lena back to the couch, and they sat down. Lena gathered her courage, wishing for a small glass of whiskey to bolster her courage. She sat and stared, wishing Andrea could just read her thoughts. "Lena, what's wrong honey, you can talk to me, you know that right?"

Lena nodded. "I need to tell you something, Andi. I've been working so much, and you have been so good to me, I can't lie to you. I had to get her permission to tell you, and I didn't know how to ask, I've been keeping things from you, from her, from myself."

"Lena, Lena K, slow down." Andrea was trying to wrap her head around Lena's nonsense.

"Andrea, I need to get this out before I lose my courage." Lena sat up straighter, "I've spent the last week and a half treating…"

"Supergirl, I know Lena K," Andrea smiled.

"What, how?" Lena was so confused now.

"Lena, I own CatCo, we aren't a trash mag, we received the same notice as everyone else. Supergirl is giving a press conference at L Corp tomorrow. My friend, Lena Luthor is a known associate of Supergirl, and you have been working crazy hours. Not to mention you and Samantha mentioned Project K. K as in Krypton." Andrea actually smirked. "If you wanted to keep it a secret, you probably shouldn't have invited me in the first place."

Lena was speechless, she had misjudged another friend. "Oh god, Andrea, you haven't told anyone have you?"

"Lena, you are my friend, and you were trying so hard to work through everything, of course, I haven't told anyone." Her smiled softened,

Lena took a deep breath, "You aren't mad?"

"Of course not Lena K."

Kelly and Astra were watching Kara and James play chess while they all ate. She was happy to see that Kara was eating, maybe the treatment and the Kryptonite were affecting her appetite as well as her self-inflicted hunger strike. She texted Alex, Sam, Eliza, and Lena that Kara was eating. Immediately her phone lit up with emojis of smiling faces, even Lena's response. Then Alex texted her one more time, reminding her that Alex, Sam, and Lois would be there for Kara's interview in about an hour.

"Kara honey, Lois will be here for the interview in about an hour," she said as Kara defeated James again.

"Okay," Kara answered, resignation in her voice. "Guess I should wear something other than pajamas."

"Alex sent you some comfy clothes honey, where do you want to do the interview, Sam said if you like we can stay upstairs in her onsite office while Lois interviews you," Kelly said as she pulled some of Kara's clothes out of her bag.

Kara stood up from her chair and stretched a bit, her stomach still hurt, and she was stiff from sitting so much. James came up to say goodbye. "I'm meeting someone for dinner tonight."

"A date, you didn't waste any time when you got back to town." Kara laughed.

"Actually, an old friend." James smiled. He hugged Kara once more and headed out.

A little less than an hour later, Lois arrived with Sam and Alex in tow. Everyone greeted Kara and hugs were exchanged, then Kelly, Astra, Alex and finally Sam departed to give the two reporters some space. As she hugged Kara, Sam whispered in her ear, "You've got this sweetheart."

Kara led Lois slowly over to a pair of recliners by the window. Kara made sure that there was water and ice, and extra pens. She was nervous and Lois could see it.

"Kara, you're going to be okay." Lois smiled, "You've done this before."

"From your side," Kara said, wide-eyed.

"True, but you will do fine honey, I promise," Lois spoke softly. "Alex said the kryptonite is out of your system."

"Yes ma'am, I threw up the last bit of it this morning. It was horrible." Kara grimaced.

"That bad?" Lois asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Being Kryptonian, I don't get sick like people on Earth." Kara answered relaxing.

"So, are you going to be okay?" Lois was slowly leading her into the interview.

"In about three or four months my powers should be restored. The blood poisoning caused a little damage to my cells and even with my ability to process sunlight, they have to repair themselves before they can start storing solar energy again." Kara answered the question like a scientist.

"Could this happen to Clark?" Lois asked, finding that she was frightened for her husband.

"It could, but he would have to be subjected to Kryptonite for a long period, and thankfully we have a way to fix even that now, thanks to Lena and Sam." Kara smiled.

"That's funny, your sister said that you were involved as well. So, did mine." Lois laughed.

"We found an error in the initial batch of Sam's blood. Lena's new formula should help Kal and any other Kryptonians on Earth." Kara was showing a little more pride and relaxing. She pulled her feet up under her and settled into her chair.

"So now, Lena has a cure for Kryptonite, thanks to assistance from two Kryptonians," Lois confirmed.

"Yes, ma'am." Kara actually smiled, she knew what Lois was doing, and it was working.

"So, you feel better now?" Lois laughed.

"Yes. Thank you, Lois." Kara laughed as well.

Lois pulled out her tape recorder and set it on the table between them. She pressed Record and the interview began.

"This is Lois Lane, interviewing Supergirl the night before her historic press conference, where, due to illness, she is stepping away from her duties. For the first time in six years, the familiar red and blue of her uniform will not be seen in the skies above National City." Lois began.

"Supergirl, first off thank you for the honor of allowing me to conduct this interview. I know this must be a difficult decision for you." Lois greeted.

"You're very welcome Ms. Lane, thank you for agreeing to this at the last minute," Kara responded, feeling a touch silly.

"Call me Lois, Supergirl." Lois smiled, "We have been hearing about Superman for almost 20 years and his story is quite well known, at least most of it. However, we don't really know a lot about you, did you arrive on Earth with Superman?" Lois asked, she knew Clark's story but had never really followed Kara's.

"No – no I didn't," Kara answered, as she stared up through the windows at the sky, hugging her mother for what she thought would be the last time, the launch of her pod, following Kal's pod up and out of the atmosphere. "We were launched away from Krypton in separate pods, and due to unforeseen circumstances, I arrived here on Earth about 24 years after him. During the destruction of our planet, my pod was struck by debris and knocked off course. There was no way for me to correct it."

"You had to watch your planet's destruction?" Lois asked, fearing the answer. These were questions Clark could never answer, things he never told her about Kara's journey from Krypton.

"I saw it all, as my ship spun from the shockwave, I watched as my home exploded, I guess that's the term. There was no sound, no flash, they were all just gone." Kara choked on the last word. She closed her eyes trying to block the images that were appearing before her eyes. Pieces of Krypton flew past her pod, smaller pieces bouncing off, she imagined many times before that people were screaming for help, but she knew in her mind it was her imagination and her guilt, but it didn't make it any less vivid. Her hands twisted into knots as she attempted to get her emotions under control. "I'm sorry, Lois."

Trying to maintain a professional demeanor, Lois took a deep breath, imagining her young son in this same situation. A single tear threatened to roll down her cheek, but she swept it away before Kara noticed. "Nonsense, Supergirl, you don't need to apologize. You were a child, and then you were adrift? Alone? For 24 years? Were you awake?"

Kara wiped her eyes on the cuffs of her shirt, so thankful that Alex had sent her a long sleeve sweatshirt. "I'm not really sure how to explain this part, Lois. I was awake, but my pod was pushed into a dimensional rift. Time didn't pass there; I didn't realize how long I was lost until I landed on Earth." Kara started to draw in on herself, "It was dark, so dark, like a night sky before a storm. There were no stars, no sources of light. It was almost – but not quite terrifying, because you couldn't tell what was coming." Kara paused for a moment, running her hands through her hair, trying to control her emotions. "The worst part was the quiet, it was so quiet."

Lois reached across the table and watched as Kara latched onto her hand. "That's – that's horrible Supergirl. You had to endure that as a child, all alone. You arrived on Earth, with no sense of how much time had passed, what was that like for you?"

"When my pod finally freed itself, all I could see was Earth in front of me. The crash wasn't nearly as terrifying as what they show in the movies." She smiled shyly. "Then the cockpit of my pod was lifted up and there was Kal, sorry Superman holding out his hand. My baby cousin was all grown up. If he – if he hadn't been wearing our family crest, I wouldn't have known it was him. It didn't strike me then, how much time I had lost, that didn't come until much later." Kara paused, she wasn't sure how much Lois knew, and she didn't want to paint Kal as a bad person. "I think he wanted to help, to raise me, but he wasn't prepared to raise a teenager, especially one that didn't speak English. I only spoke Kryptonese, and he barely recognized the language of our home world."

"Go ahead, Supergirl." Lois encouraged.

"He found me a family, that could take care of me here on Earth, and then he was just gone."

"So, Superman left you with a family here on Earth?" Lois growled. "Were they aliens?"

"My adoptive family was wonderful, they taught me English, they sent me to school, they helped me learn to control my – my gifts. Most of all they gave me safety, but I don't want to give too much away, because if someone was to find out who they are, they could use them to manipulate me.

"I can understand that. You've spent about half your life on Earth, learning to adapt, went to school, found a job, a normal daily existence. But during that entire time, you never joined Superman? Not until 6 years ago? Why then?" Lois asked.

"School, school was so much fun, except English, there are so many rules." Kara smiled. "I went to college, I got a job, several jobs actually. I honestly didn't think the world wanted anymore, what are they calling us now," she paused. "Metas, I didn't think they wanted more. I mean, he was always in the news, stopping that crime or saving that person, I didn't think I could do that."

Kara paused, not for effect but because all she could picture was a flaming plane passing over the bar she was at, Alex's calm but terrified face as she faced death. "The night I came out, the night that plane was falling from the sky." Kara's breathing picked up, "I couldn't stand there and not save them, Lois, after Krypton, after hiding for so long, I couldn't stand the thought of those people dying and me not doing anything to save them. I couldn't let anyone die if I was able to stop it." She stopped speaking as she felt the terror from over a hundred heartbeats on that plane, as her person, her Alex was trying so hard to be calm. "I couldn't let Alex die." She whispered, too low for the recorder to pick up. But Lois heard her, and a shocked look came to her face as Kara's fear came forward again. Kara wasn't scared of failing, she was scared of losing her family. Lois paused the recorder, and she crawled over to her husband's cousin and wrapped her arms tightly around this strong woman, pulling her close as Kara cried into her shoulder.

Kara cried for just a few minutes, and once she was ready, Lois continued the recording. "Once I was in the public eye, I found that maybe they really did want me to help. Since then I have tried to live up to the El family creed of Hope, Help, and Compassion for all. To honor my family crest, which on Krypton, is a symbol of Hope."

"I know you plan to step away from your public life, is this permanent, is Supergirl retiring? Or will she be back?" Lois questioned.

"I'll be back if they will have me. My caregivers have told me that my body needs time to heal, to completely recover. I can't promise a timeline, because we really don't know." Kara answered, a small frown on her face, her crinkle showing. "National City still has her protectors, and all her heroes are out there," Kara looked out the window at her home, her city, "The Police, Firefighters, Doctors and EMTs. Everyone out there is a hero to someone, they are all a light of hope, one that makes National City shine like no other."

"That makes me, and I'm sure the readers, very happy Supergirl. We have Superman, and we have many other heroes, but this world needs your optimism, it needs Supergirl."

"Thank you, Lois, for that wonderful sentiment. I hope everyone can forgive me for this, anyone who feels I may have let them down or failed them in some way. I have always lived by my family's creed, Hope, Help, and Compassion for all, and by a saying from Krypton, El Mayarah, stronger together." Kara smiled.

Lois stopped the recorder, "That was wonderful, Kara."

Kara shuddered, the interview put her one step closer to tomorrow, the day she stopped being Supergirl.

Fifteen minutes later, her sister, her aunt, and Sam entered the room. Lois smiled as they entered, pointing her chin to Kara, sitting in a recliner watching the sun set over National City. Alex grasped Kara's undamaged hand in her own, Astra's fingers fell lightly on the hand she had broken, and Sam's strong hands were on Kara's shoulders. All three of her protectors, lost in their own thoughts stood there with the fragile girl of steel as night fell across her city.


	26. Running Home

Kara was a wreck, in less than an hour she would be standing in front of thousands of people and about 50 or so reporters telling National City goodbye. Alex, Kelly, and Eliza were currently fussing over her hair and her uniform. Earlier in the day she had tried on her new uniform and almost had an anxiety attack as memories of the Fortress threatened to overwhelm her. Luckily Alex had recognized the signs and calmed her down with Astra's song. Lucy had rushed over a spare of her old uniform and she was currently sitting in a chair, twisting the ends of the cape, trying and failing to get her nerves under control.

Sam walked in about five minutes later to let Alex know that everything downstairs was set, security was in place and Lucy and she had walked the perimeter of the park together and had set extra security at any weak spots she had noticed. Alex pulled her aside and filled Sam in on the day Kara was having.

"She didn't sleep more than a few hours, she took her shower and then proceeded to spill orange juice everywhere and had to take a second one," Alex sighed. "Then Lena came in to check on her, everything was fine, but then Lena hugged her."

"Oh god," Sam gasped. "Did Kara freak out?"

"She completely froze up, she was absolutely petrified." Alex's anger peeked out just a bit, but she took a deep breath to center herself. "She wasn't expecting it, Sam, if she had been, it wouldn't have been that way."

"Alex, you do not have to apologize for Kara, hell, Kara doesn't have to apologize." Sam stated, "I'll talk to Lena, I'm sure she will understand, but your focus needs to be on her." Sam pointed to the beautiful blonde.

"She isn't going to use her wheelchair on the stage either," Alex frowned.

Sam took a breath, this was a sticking point, and a conversation they had all had with Kara throughout the last few days, even Astra and Eliza hadn't been able to get her to back down on this one. No matter the argument Kara had insisted she would not let her city see her in a wheelchair. She rubbed her temples, the walk was as short as they could make it, 30 feet from the door to the podium. "Dammit, I'll walk her if I have to!" Sam snapped.

"Sam you can't. You will be living across the road from her in Midvale," Alex paused to let that thought sink in. "If someone sees you on the news and recognizes you from Midvale with an obviously injured Kara Danvers."

"They'll put two and two together, and she won't be safe," Sam finished. She loved the little blonde, but damn, why did she have to be so stubborn.

"Well let's finish getting her ready, so we can finally take her home," Alex said, smiling for the first time today.

On the floor above, Lena Luthor was pacing back and forth, wishing for the thousandth time today that she was holding a tumbler of scotch instead of a glass of water. Her head was pounding, her heart was thumping and her makeup was ruined due to the tears that had fallen after she frightened Kara with the hug downstairs. 'What was I thinking?' she thought to herself again. She'd known Kara wasn't ready, but she also knew that today was her last chance to see her friend before she left National City. She thought the tears were about to start again when she heard a knock on her door. She turned towards the sound as Andrea opened the door and stepped through.

"Hey Lena, I thought, if you don't mind…" Andrea paused to take in the picture of Lena Luthor. "Lena, honey, what's wrong? You've been crying again? Why didn't you call?"

Lena smiled a sad smile and walked into Andrea's arms, letting them wrap around her. "Sorry Andi, it's been a bad morning. I know with the press conference going on and everything, you were probably busy."

"Lena, I will never be too busy for you," Andrea smiled. "If you need me, you call, day or night. I will be here for you, I promise."

Lena's eyes popped open, her breathing sped up and her knees threatened to give out as those words left Andrea's mouth. The tears came hard and fast, and she buried her face into Andrea's shoulder. Andrea didn't say a word, she simply tightened her arms around her friend and held her tight, rubbing a small circle on Lena's back, just like back in school, whenever Lena had a bad day, Andrea was there, trying to make it all better.

_The memory came unbidden to Andrea, the first time she had seen Lena cry. They had just won the science competition at school, and Lillian and Lex were there. Lena was so proud, she had done the impossible and built a small working robot that worked on voice commands. They had spent weeks perfecting the mechanics, and then Lena had stayed awake for almost 40 hours programming the thing._

_"It's so small, what good is it?" Lillian had stared down her nose at it._

_"Oh!" Lex smiled as he knocked it off the table, "and now it's broken as well." Then he stepped on the robot, shattering the head._

_Lena had watched them leave, anger and rage causing her to tremble. As soon as the door to the auditorium closed, she bolted to her room and slammed the door. Andrea was so surprised by Lena's actions, that she stood there for what seemed like hours before going to check on her friend._

_Upstairs, she'd found Lena lying on her bed, screaming and crying into her pillow. She knocked on the door to let Lena know she was there and sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing circles on Lena's back. "It'll be okay Lena, it'll be okay."_

"It'll be okay Lena, let it out, I promise it will all be okay," Andrea said to the top of Lena's head as she continued to cry.

Back downstairs in Kara's room Alex, Kelly and Eliza were done getting her ready.

"Kar, we have to head downstairs," Alex said, gathering her sister up in a hug, she could feel the uniform hanging loosely on Kara's still thin form, but the cast on her wrist was hidden, and Alex knew that the weight would come back slowly. "You're going to be fine, and when you get home this afternoon, Kelly has a surprise for you."

"What surprise?" Kara asked, a real smile showing on her face.

"Wouldn't be a surprise if we told you, would it?" Kelly asked, wrapping her arms around both the Danvers sisters. She kissed Kara's cheek and wished her luck, then linked her fingers with Alex's and they stepped away, making room for Eliza.

Kara smiled again as Eliza engulfed her in a hug. "I love you, honey. You will be fine out there today."

"Thanks, mom." Then she thought about it for a moment, "Do you mind me calling you that?"

Smiling, Eliza answered, "Kara, I have waited for that word to leave your mouth since you came to live with us. I don't mind at all. But when Alura comes the next time, you should ask her if it would be upsetting to her."

"I will." She responded softly, wrapping her arms tightly around Eliza and relaxing. "Where's Astra?"

"She's up on the roof, taking her position as National City's newest protector very seriously," Alex answered.

"Oh!" Kara exclaimed as she and Eliza parted. The three women headed downstairs to the press conference, so they could blend into the audience, and make sure they were close to the stage.

That left Sam and Kara alone for the first time in days. "So sweetheart, are you going to at least ride down in your wheelchair?"

"I don't really want to," Kara answered.

"You do realize, I can carry you and the chair downstairs," Sam snickered.

"You wouldn't dare," Kara said, wide-eyed.

Sam raised her eyebrows in Kara's direction, "Kara, you have taken care of me in the past, and I am trying to repay that favor, please use the wheelchair till we get downstairs."

"Fine," Kara said, defeated, a frown replacing the smile on her face.

Sam had seen that frown one time before when Kara had visited her and Ruby in Metropolis.

_The dream started just like it always did…_

_"I love you Sam.", the last words she had heard from Patricia as she stabbed her, using her own hand as a weapon._

_Ruby's face in the picture she had shattered._

_The fear in Lena's eyes._

_Kara's barely conscious body hanging above the street, watching her fall, smirking as she watches her Kara falling, lying there unmoving._

_Seeing Kara with blood on her face, all the memories flooding back._

_She'd been hurt and I caused it._

_I'm trapped again, I can't get out, I can't wake up, she's coming back._

_Then she heard a voice, Kara's voice, singing. She couldn't understand the words, but her body started to relax. She could move again. Reign wasn't back, it was just a dream._

_Her eyes cracked open, she was sweating and her back and arms hurt from the tension. Kara was sitting there, a frown on her lovely face._

_"Relax Sami, go back to sleep, I'll be right here when you wake up," Kara said softly._

_"K," Sam responded as she closed her eyes and relaxed._

_When she woke up the next morning, Kara was still there asleep on the couch, still wearing her uniform minus her boots and cape, the latter of which was wrapped around Sam. But what meant the most was that Kara's hand was on top of hers, sharing her strength with Sam as she slept._

As the memory ended, Sam smiled at Kara, "Sweetheart, after we leave National City, I will never make you sit in the wheelchair again, okay?"

Kara's smile brightened Sam's whole world, "Promise?"

"Pinkie swear," Sam responded, and they both cracked up.

As the laughter subsided, Sam took a deep breath and spoke, "It's time Kara, you ready?"

Kara closed her blue eyes, drew in a deep breath, opened her eyes and looked at her friend. "Not really Sami, but let's do this anyway." Then she plopped into her wheelchair and tried to smile.

Sam kissed the top of her head and they headed out the door, towards the elevator.

All of Kara's family and friends had arrived at the press conference earlier. Lucy was currently checking the positions of her agents under the watchful eye of Alex Danvers.

"Lucy, I'm so…"Alex started.

"If you say I'm sorry one more time, I'm going to shoot you," Lucy said smiling."If she were my sister I'd be doing the same thing you are, Alex."

"She's so powerless right now, I'm acting horrible." Alex stopped walking, Lucy's security perimeter was as close to perfect as it could be. She closed her eyes for a moment, rubbing them with her hand. Then she felt Lucy pull her into a hug.

"She's your baby sister Alex, even when she's fully powered, you freak out." Lucy smiled.

"Thanks, Luce." Alex smiled back.

"Lois, what did I do?" Clark asked for the hundredth time.

"Did you read my story, the interview, really read it?" Lois snapped.

"Yes, I read it," Clark answered.

"You left her? You sent her to live with someone she didn't know. Why?" Lois asked.

Clark swallowed. The same thought had occurred to him many times over the last week or so. "Because I was just starting out Lois, I could barely afford to take care of myself, how was I going to take care of her."

"She was your family." Lois whispered, "she was wearing your crest."

"She only spoke Kryptonese, Lois," he said defensively, "I barely recognized it."

"Why didn't you at least send her to live with Ma?" Lois snapped, "she is family."

"I chose the Danvers because they helped me with my powers. They were scientists." Clark responded. Ma had asked the same thing.

"You never visited her, you dropped her off and left her, you abandoned her." Lois's voice dripped with accusations.

"I wanted her to have a choice, she didn't have to follow me, she could be normal," Clark responded, but his heart wasn't in it.

"How could you ever think she had a chance at being normal, her cousin, the baby that she was supposed to protect was flying all over the planet with that damn symbol on his chest," jabbing her finger into her husband's chest "and she was supposed to hide and be normal." Lois snapped and turned on her heel and walked away.

Superman stood there for a moment, watching his wife walking away. Family was always the key to his cousin's life and her strength. Clark had grown up on Earth, had never known anything else, and yet at this very moment, it seemed his cousin was more human than he had ever been.

Kelly was seated on the right end of the stage, closest to the doorway Kara would step through. Regardless of what Alex thought if Kara stumbled she would damn well be on that stage helping her girlfriend's sister. Then she heard a familiar voice as her brother walked up behind her, a stunning, older blonde on his arm.

"Don't waste much time do you, Jimmy?" Kelly teased.

"Hey sis, you and Kara. This is Cat Grant, my former employer," James smiled.

Cat held out her hand, which Kelly accepted gracefully, "You must be Kelly?"

"Yes ma'am," Kelly answered, a little starstruck.

"How's our girl, Dr. Olsen?" Cat asked.

Kelly looked to James who nodded. "She's doing okay Ms. Grant. She's not quite herself."

"James tells me she is going back to Midvale to recover. Are you going to continue with her?" Cat asked sweetly.

"I haven't really done much so far, the physical aspect of her issues has been a bit more pressing. But to answer your question, yes ma'am, I will be helping her." Kelly answered as professionally as possible.

"Excellent, I've read a few of your articles and you seem to really understand the effects of trauma on the human condition. Kara couldn't be in better hands." Cat smiled. "And if what my sources say is true, her sister is lucky to have you as well."

Kelly blushed as Cat and James moved a few seats down from where she was sitting.

Nia Nal was sitting at the very back of the sections of seats reserved for the press. Ruby was sitting behind her and Nia decided at once she would rather talk with Ruby than pay any attention to the useless gossip the reporters were spouting. They were texting back and forth since Nia didn't want to have a group of reporters staring at her while she whispered to herself.

Nia: 'Your mom wants us to run upstairs and get Kara's stuff at the end of the press conference."

Ruby: 'That's fine by me. How do you stand all this gossip?"

Nia: 'I know, they are like a bunch of little old ladies. What surprises me is that none of them have any clue as to what's actually been going on with Supergirl."

Ruby: '?'

Nia: 'If their rumors get any worse, Kara will be married to Ming the Merciless and planning to take over the whole planet.'

Ruby: 'Some of them are so mean. Why?'

Nia: 'Because they need a big story, something horrible to help them feel important. Just ignore them, it's all empty gossip.'

Ruby: 'But Kara is a hero?'

Nia: 'I know hon, but they need to sell stories to keep their papers going, and good news doesn't sell papers.'

Ruby: 'ugh' followed by a string of emoji's that even Nia couldn't comprehend.

Up on the roof of L Corp, Astra sat, scanning the area with her X-Ray vision and listening for anything that could harm her niece. She'd caught snippets of Kara's conversations this morning while she was getting ready for this, oh what had Eliza called it, this necessary evil. Lena was currently discussing her mother with Andrea while Kara and Sam had entered the elevator and were headed down to the ground floor. At first, she was unsure of Samantha, but the woman truly cared for her Little One, and if Kara would be honest with herself, she would see that she cared for Samantha as well. Astra shook her head, the Houses of El and Zod, united by two women who did not understand just how powerful the bond these two houses shared had shaped Krypton's history.

Shaking her head and laughing at fate, she resumed scanning the area around the press conference.

The elevator doors closed and Sam pressed the button so they could head down. Kara's foot started shaking and Sam could feel her heart rate rising. "Kara?"

Kara reached out taking Sam's hands in hers and closed her eyes. Sam could feel how clammy Kara's palms were. "S-Sami."

"I'm right here sweetheart, take a deep breath," Sam begged. "It's okay, I'm right here, and I swear Kara, I'm not going anywhere, ever."

Kara took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. Then another and another, until her heart started to settle down. "Pinkie swear?" Kara asked, holding her finger out. Her eyes were closed tightly, and her hands were still shaking a bit.

Crossing their pinkies had been Kara and Ruby's game whenever she'd visited, and Sam was honored to be included in their exclusive little club. She crossed her pinky inside Kara's and solemnly stated, "Pinkie swear."

Kara smiled as she opened her eyes, she was relaxing a bit and pulled Sam down and into a hug. "Thank you, Sami." Sam could feel a blush rise at Kara's next question, "Why do you put up with me Sami?"

She held Kara for a moment longer, her heart and brain screaming at her to just say it, 'Because I love you, Kara Zor-El Danvers.' Instead, she took a deep breath and responded, "Because you have been my best friend for-for so long Kara, I care about you and your family, I have to, I need to be here for you." Oh god, she was rambling.

"Now, one more promise," Kara looked at Sam seriously, "You have to let me cross that stage by myself."

"Kara, if you fall." Sam was biting her lip.

"I will get back up." Kara stood up from her chair. "I can't be a symbol for this city, if I have to be rescued today Sami, please." Then the door opened.

Astra picked that moment to arrive. "Samantha, you need to get out to your seat before Kara comes out."

"One moment Auntie." Kara said as she pulled Sam into a hug "Thank you, Sam, thank you for believing in me."

They separated and Sam caught Kara's hands, "Be careful sweetheart."

"I will Sami." Kara smiled as she lowered herself back into her wheelchair. "Love ya, Sami."

Sam made her way to her seat, Kara's words still bouncing around in her head, she knew Kara hadn't meant them the way Sam was hoping she did, but that didn't stop her from smiling like a lovestruck teenager. She made her way to her seat and found herself sitting next to James Olsen and Cat Grant. She knew each one by reputation but had never been properly introduced, thankfully Kelly saw her and came down to speak.

"Hey Sam, how's she doing?" Kelly asked.

"She made me promise not to help if she has any problems on stage, she insisted that she has to do this herself," Sam said, clearly distressed.

"Sam, I know you don't want to hear this, but she is right," Kelly stated. "She's not doing this to hurt us or make us feel bad, she is doing this for herself, to prove that she can, to prove she is still Supergirl." Kelly mentally scolded herself as she said this considering the thoughts she had just minutes ago.

"I know Kelly, but she also asked why I put up with her," Sam stressed. This was becoming so much harder than she thought it would be.

Kelly looked at her, her eyes softened and she asked, "What did you say?"

"I almost blurted out the truth, then I just rambled on about how she was my friend." Sam laughed at herself. "I sounded like her when she talks about anything."

Cat picked that moment to lean into the conversation. "Are we discussing Kara?"

Kelly responded, "Yes ma'am. May I introduce…"

"Samantha Arias, VP at L Corp and the current neighbor to Eliza Danvers in Midvale." Cat stated. "I am assuming that is not a coincidence?"

Sam and Kelly both stared wide-eyed. "Uhm, yes." Kelly finally responded.

"Ladies, just because I am no longer in charge of CatCo, does not mean that I've forgotten how to be a reporter." Cat smiled. "Are you a friend of Kara's, Ms. Arias?"

"Yes, ma'am." Sam answered, "We have been close friends for quite some time now."

"Even though up until recently you lived in Metropolis?" Cat raised her eyebrows.

Sam had a feeling she was being set up, "Kara would come to Metropolis and visit from time to time."

"Flew in just for a visit?" Cat smiled, "I'm well aware of Kara's other identity Ms. Arias. It's commendable that you work so hard to protect her, but I assure you, I figured her identity out quite easily. Those glasses don't work if you know what to look for."

Sam released a breath, this woman was quite possibly more formidable than Lena, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Grant."

"You may call me, Cat.", the little blonde smiled as she seated herself directly beside Sam. "I believe our girl is about to make her appearance.

On the other side of the stage, Alex was approaching her seat, when she heard a familiar voice. "Hey, Danvers." Maggie Sawyer smiled as she called out.

"Maggie?" Alex responded, startled.

"Whoa Danvers, I'm not going to attack you." Maggie laughed.

"Then why are you here?" Alex asked.

"The same reason as everyone else Danvers. To make sure she is safe." Maggie pointed to the stage.

Alex thought for a minute, "I don't recall you having that high of an opinion of her Detective."

Maggie frowned and sighed. "It's actually Captain."

"Well congratulations," Alex interrupted sarcastically.

"Alexandra, I know you are upset with me, and you have every right to be. There is so much-so much I could have done differently." Maggie swallowed.

"We both could have done things differently Maggie, I've moved on, I have Kelly now, she's good for me, and she wants kids too," Alex spoke, unable to stop. "You never saw Kara as anything more than Supergirl, a vigilante, a defense for criminals. What's changed?"

"You're right Alex, you are absolutely right, but I can admit my mistakes, Kara is a hero, and so are you. I'm here to check on you, on her. Is she going to be okay, are you?"

"You know the Danvers sisters, we hold it all in and keep going," Alex responded sarcastically, instantly regretting her words at the pain expression on Maggie's face. "She needs to heal Maggie. I'm sorry, it's been-this has been hard."

"She's coming back, isn't she?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah, she'll be back, she may not ever be the same Maggie, but she'll be back," Alex tried to smile, but it couldn't make it to her eyes.

"I'm sorry Alex. I'm sorry it had to be something like this that made me think to apologize," Maggie frowned.

"It's okay Maggie, it really is." Alex smiled again, "I've got to get to my seat."

"Oh yeah, I understand." Maggie smiled, a little sadly.

"See ya around Sawyer," Alex spoke, as she turned and walked towards Kelly and her seat by the stage. Maggie noticed Alex didn't turn and look back.

Upstairs in her office, Lena and Andrea were watching the TV coverage of the press conference. As the spokesperson for L Corp took the stage, the camera focused on the front row of the audience. She recognized Kelly Olsen and her brother James, then she focused on the redhead in the front row, she knew that face. Then she saw Cat Grant sitting beside Sam, 'Why is Cat Grant here?' she wondered. The camera panned one more time, and this time she realized where she had seen that face before, the DEO. She was about to ask Lena when the spokesperson introduced Supergirl.

All eyes looked to the stage, to the curtains that Supergirl would emerge from, and a cheer went up as the crowd waited for her to appear. Behind the curtain, Kara took a deep breath and stood up from her chair. She hugged Astra quickly and turned to the curtains.

The curtains rustled and out she stepped. Her smile was in place and she walked, albeit slowly, out onto the stage. She smiled, trying to mask the obvious discomfort on her face and she looked ahead to the podium. She was almost halfway across the stage when she felt the uncomfortable pull of her uniform on her stitches. It caught her unaware and she stopped for a moment to center herself. She felt the panic start to rise and quickly looked to the front row. Blue eyes met Hazel as she found Sam. Sam looked up into her eyes and mimed taking a deep breath. Kara smiled slightly and took a deep breath, Sam watched as she let it out slowly, focusing on the podium, and started walking again. It didn't register until Kara started moving again that she was holding Cat in her seat, stopping her from moving towards the stage.

"Sorry Cat, she made me promise to let her do this by herself," Sam apologized.

"Just friends?" Cat smiled, "Next time a simple stop would be okay Samantha." As she rubbed her sore arm.

"Sorry," Sam said again.

Kara reached the podium and gripped it tightly for a moment and everything she had wanted to say was suddenly forgotten. She looked down at her fidgety hands, as she crossed and uncrossed them over and over again. Then she looked up, searching the crowd again for Sam, finding her and trying to relax. Then she instinctively reached up to her eyes to fix her glasses, the ones that weren't there. She caught herself quickly, brushing her hair behind her ears. She looked out at Sam one more time and noticed her holding out her pinkie finger. This caused Kara to relax completely, as she gripped the podium one more time, pointing her own pinkie in Sam's direction.

"I would like to thank you all for coming today." She began, then once again moved her hand to fix her glasses, catching herself again and fixing her hair again.

"Six years ago, you welcomed me warmly to National City, and together we have seen our fair share of ups and downs. Through my worst moments, you have still held on to your faith in me and allowed me to continue to work with you to make our city a haven of hope and compassion for both humans and aliens."

A cheer went up and Kara hung her head and smiled shyly as she blushed, and a small tear ran down her cheek. James caught the image with his camera, and that picture would be all over the papers the next day. The picture would also win him his second Pulitzer Prize for Photography.

Kara lifted her head and again made the mistake of reaching for her glasses. She swept her hair back again promising herself to work on breaking that habit. "I once gave a speech about hope, one that many of you may not remember, but at the time I thought it was the most important thing you needed to hear. What I didn't realize is that I needed it as well. You see, this city inspires me," then her eyes locked on Sam's, "you make me a better person, you give me hope." She smiled again, her Kara smile, the soft one that always melted Sam's heart. Then she looked for her sister, and their eyes met as she continued, "you are my hero."

Kara swallowed back her tears, but not Alex, the run-in with Maggie and Kara's words broke the normally stoic woman and tears rolled down her face. Kelly lifted Alex's hand to her lips and kissed it gently.

"I'm sure many of you have read the news article that was printed this morning, and I am here today to apologize, for failing you in a way I never expected. I have to step away, I have to leave our beloved city to heal, to get better. I'm so very sorry for this, for being gone this past month and a half, and I can only hope you have it in your hearts to forgive me."

"My caregivers here at L Corp have determined that I need three to four months to recover completely, but I don't want to make a promise I can't keep, but I will be back. In the meantime, you still have the true heroes of National City that you can count on, the Police, the Firefighters, the EMT's, Doctors and Nurses. Just remember that one simple act of kindness can make you a hero to someone." This statement was directed at Nia, whose eyes met Kara's and smiled.

Then Kara looked into the camera, "Always follow your hearts, don't let anyone else's opinions or mistakes define who you are or who you become, you can all be heroes, you are all heroes."

Upstairs Lena was watching the speech, tears flowing slowly down her cheeks. Once again Kara was setting aside her feelings of fear, reminding Lena again that deep down, she believed that Lena was a good person. Andrea was sitting back on the couch rubbing Lena's back when Lena rubbed her eyes and swept her hair back with her hands. The movement reminded Andrea of her reaction when she mentioned Kara, and then again when she talked about treating Supergirl. She stopped rubbing Lena's back, the images running through her head. Where had she seen those movements, why was Lena so worked up. She closed her eyes for a moment and started thinking. The redhead downstairs, her last name, 'Danvers', Andrea remembered. The motions on the stage, reaching for glasses, the passion in her speech, the way she came when Agent Danvers yelled for her at the DEO. Her eyes snapped open, "Oh my god, Supergirl is...Kara Danvers," she whispered.

"What was that Andrea?" Lena asked.

"Supergirl is Kara Danvers," Andrea said again, causing Lena to freeze.

Lena had been caught, and Andrea knew all her tells. She wouldn't be able to bluff her way out of this.

"You had something to do with this didn't you Lena?" Andrea asked. Lena dropped her head, shame evident as her eyes wouldn't meet Andrea's. "What did you do Lena?"

Lena lifted her head, her eyes meeting Andrea's. Whatever she saw there caused Andrea to step back and shudder.

"Lena, what did you do? Talk to me, Don't shut me out again," Andrea begged. "Please Lena?"

Lena stood there for what seemed like an eternity, then she turned away from her friend and walked quickly out onto the balcony.

Andrea was shocked, was she being shut out of Lena's life again? What had happened? What had Lena done that was haunting her so much? Could she help, would Lena let her help?

Downstairs Kara's speech continued, her message of Hope, Help, and Compassion for all touching all the members of the audience. "Once again, I want to thank you all for being here today. Hope, Help, and Compassion for all, thank you."

The audience started to applaud, and slowly they all started rising to their feet, the sound was deafening and Kara stood on the stage holding back tears, trying to be strong for her adopted city. She turned, to head back across the stage to the curtain when she noticed a small stain of blood from her pulled stitches. Her heart started to race and she started to tense up. She looked out over the crowd again and found first Alex and then Sam. Both could see the panic rising in her eyes, but it was Cat that reacted the quickest. She moved onto the stage next to the panicking Supergirl. "Now, Keira. Keep your head up, I'm here to help, whether you like it or not" Cat said with a smile.

"Thank you, Ms. Grant," Kara smiled.

"Questions from the press?" Cat asked quietly.

"No ma'am, I can't do that, not right now," Kara answered, her voice a little shaky, and she was bouncing slightly on her heels.

Cat held out her arm and started to lead Kara back to the curtain when she heard a voice coming from the crowd.

"Supergirl, why are you being treated here at L Corp? Did Lena Luthor have something to do with this?" Yelled William Dey, the reporter who had been rewriting her stories at CatCo.

"No questions today ladies and gentlemen," Cat yelled over the crowd as she smiled graciously.

"So is Lena Luthor responsible for this Supergirl?" Dey asked again, even louder this time.

Cat turned to face the reporter again, not quite smiling, "I said, no questions Mr. Dey."

The sound of Lena's name from the television broke through Andrea's thoughts and she shook her head. ``Was Lena responsible for this?' she asked herself.

She moved towards the balcony where she could see the brunette hugging herself tightly. She knocked as she moved through the open door. Lena turned towards her as she asked again, "Lena, did you do this to Kara?"

All her anger and rage came forward as Lena answered. "Yes! It was me, I did this. I took Supergirl away from the world. Just like my brother always wanted to do, but I succeeded. I broke her, I poisoned her and then I healed her just so I could enjoy watching her walk away." Lena hissed like she was angry at the world. "She betrayed my trust, just like you!" The last accusation caused Andrea to flinch back as her guilt came back in spades.

"She was my friend for three years and didn't tell me she was Supergirl. Everyone around her knew, but she kept it from me. I told her everything, I begged for her trust, to not keep secrets." Tears started to fall down Lena's face, "Lex told me who she really was, just before I shot him."

"Lena?" Andrea realized that Lena wasn't angry at her, or at Kara. She was angry with herself.

"Did you hear what I said, I killed my brother. I killed him to protect her, do you understand, I killed him," she screamed.

Then Lena rubbed her face like she was trying to scrub the pain away. Then she continued her confession, "then last month, I locked her in a cage, took away her ability to communicate with anyone and left her alone. She begged me to stay, to not leave her, and I smiled at her when I walked away. My best friend, ha, I left her locked in a cage for a month, a kryptonite cage."

Lena slowly lowered herself to her knees. She started to speak again, not yelling. "I left her, I just walked away, because I was angry about a secret. I never checked on her, I never went back. If Alex hadn't found me, she'd be dead." At those words, her eyes went wide, it was the first time she'd said it out loud, she could have killed her. "She's scared of small spaces and she hates being alone, did you know that. She's Supergirl, and she has fears, just like us."

Andrea approached slowly, "Lena, you couldn't have known."

"I should've known, she was my best friend but I never asked." Lena paused, then whispered, "after I found out who she really was, I never approached her about it, even after she told me, I didn't care. I just wanted to be angry, I wanted to be betrayed. She was my friend, and I stopped caring. But not her, she kept right on coming back for more. Now she is scared of me. I can't even hug her, tell her I'm sorry, without her shaking or panicking. I wanted her to know how I felt when she betrayed me, and now look at what I've done."

Andrea reached out to touch Lena's shoulder, but as her fingers landed, Lena flinched, as if she was unworthy of human touch. "No," she whispered. Andrea moved away like she had been slapped.

"Stop pretending Andi, stop pretending like you care," Lena begged.

At those words, Andrea's heart sped up, not in fear or frustration, but in anger. "Pretending, you think this is all make-believe to me," Andrea started yelling, "You think I bought that worthless little magazine because I needed another business to run, or so you would invest in my company."

Lena was still on her knees, staring, unable to speak because of Andrea's outburst...

"I came to National City to fix our friendship, to apologize to you for what I had done. You did the same thing to Kara that you always do, you cut yourself off, you only listened to one side of the story, yours", Andrea snapped.

"Did she tell you why she didn't share the secret Lena, did you even ask, or were you so intent on the betrayal that it wouldn't have mattered?" Andrea sneered.

"She said she just wanted to be Kara with me, that if I didn't know she was Supergirl, she could just be Kara," Lena cried. "That she did it to protect me from…"

"From harm or because you could be used against her. You realize, if someone were to take you, threaten you with harm, she would have done anything to protect you, anything Lena." Andrea paused a moment to let that sink in, "When I found the medallion, it was the same thing, I was given a choice to save my family, they used them against me, and I let them. Betraying you was the farthest thing from my mind Lena, but I couldn't let my family fail, not if I could save them."

"I didn't know that Andi," Lena whispered.

"How could you, you grabbed that feeling of betrayal and held on, you never asked me what was going on or why." Andrea was crying now, "you just erased me from your life, you never cared about what was going on with me, only yourself."

"And now you are here to save me, to rescue me from myself?" Lena asked a tone of derision in her voice.

"Oh my god, you are so self-centered sometimes, I didn't come here to rescue you, I came here to rescue myself, to earn your forgiveness. I should have known better, I should have stayed away, but I couldn't. I'd hoped that maybe time had healed the wound," Andrea's tears flowed freely down her face. "I should have known better." She said in a whisper as her head fell and she stared at the floor.

"If I'm so horrible, why do you stay." Lena cried, not sure if she really wanted to hear the answer.

"I stay because I love you," Andrea whispered.

"What did you say?" Lena asked, not sure she'd heard correctly.

"I said I love you, Lena," Andrea said again, staring Lena in her eyes.

Lena knelt there, her mouth unable to form words, her thoughts whirling through her head. 'Say something' she thought, 'Speak.' She couldn't do or say anything, the shock of those words from Andrea's lips had shocked her, taking her completely by surprise.

"Say something, Lena, please," Andrea asked. A heartbeat passed between them, then another and finally another. "I'm sorry Lena, I shouldn't have said anything." She turned and left the balcony, refusing to cry again in front of Lena. By the time she reached the office door, she had composed herself and dried her tears. She stepped out the door and slammed it hard behind her.

Kara, Cat, and Astra were talking as everything went on upstairs. They were surprised as Nia and Ruby came out of the elevator carrying Kara's few belongings.

"We left you something to change into upstairs Kara." Nia said, "and the bag for your uniform."

"Thanks, Nia, was the speech okay?" Kara asked.

"You did wonderful Kara, you always do." Nia smiled as she bent down and hugged Kara tightly. "Thank you for what you said."

Kara smiled at her friend and fellow heroine, "I meant it, Nia, look at what you have become, people look up to you now, I'm so proud of the person you've become."

Astra's head twisted around as she heard Lena's office door slam shut. "Little One."

Kara recognized the look, "Go, Aunt Astra, you can fill me in later on tonight."

Astra quickly hugged Kara and took off. Sam, Alex, and Kelly arrived at the same moment and watched National City's newest protector speed off.

"What was that all about?" Alex asked.

"Didn't ask, she will fill us in later." Kara smiled, it never dawned on her how many times she flew off without telling anyone where she was going. "She has a communicator, right Alex?"

"She does Kar, but mine is not going in today, Lucy will give you updates if you ask, but Astra needs a chance to learn before you start chatting in her ear," Alex said.

"Your words or Lucy's?" Kara asked, her crinkle showing.

"Lucy's, Astra and I are trying, but somehow I don't imagine she would take my criticism very well." Alex smiled.

"I didn't mean to make you cry, Alex." Kara frowned a bit.

Alex leaned in to hug Kara, "Thank you, baby sister, any tears that fell were worth it. Maggie says hello by the way." She laughed at Kara's wide eyes, "I'll explain later, okay? And don't think I didn't notice the blood, are you okay?"

Kara nodded, "It's dried, when I pulled the stitch it must have bled just a little." She returned the hug and turned her attention to the hazel eyes that had saved her twice on stage, "Thank you, Sami."

"Kara, sweetheart, I promised." Sam smiled, "And you did just fine by yourself."

They continued to talk for a few minutes, Nia and Ruby volunteered to ride back to Midvale with Alex and Kelly so they could help with the surprise. Cat promised to meet Kara in Midvale as well. Finally, it was just Kara and Sam. "So sweetheart, you ready for that ride home?"

"Home." Kara sighed and nodded as they entered the elevator.

Astra landed on Lena's balcony and saw the CEO on her knees staring at the door to her office. Tears streaked her face and her mouth was hanging open. "Lena, are you well? What happened here?"

Astra's voice seemed to snap Lena out of her current state. "I did it again, I let her go again."

Astra looked confused, "Who?"

"Andi, I let her walk out of my life again." Lena started to stand, and Astra held out her hand, which Lena of course ignored.

"This person, this Andi, she is important to you?" Astra asked solemnly.

"She was, she is, she said she loves me, she-I don't know." Lena stumbled over her words.

"Lena, breathe," Astra spoke softly, but she noticed that Lena was listening to her. "If this woman is so important to you, why did you allow her to leave?"

"Many years ago, she betrayed my trust, and I-I stopped speaking to her, I stopped taking her calls. I pretended that she didn't exist at all." Lena admitted all this, and then continued, "eventually she stopped trying to contact me at all. Then after I found out Kara's secret, I was selling CatCo. Andrea came out of nowhere to buy it."

"Andrea?" Astra questioned, then realized, "Ah, Andi is Andrea, now I understand."

"She's been here for me since Alex brought Kara home, no questions asked," Lena frowned as if suddenly she understood Andrea's admission.

Astra sat cross-legged in front of Lena and invited her to join her. Lena sat slowly, looking doubtingly at Astra. Astra then held out her arms, palms up, inviting Lena to grasp them. Lena slowly took the woman's wrist in her palms.

"Lena, I need you to understand, I am not Kara, I don't share her empathy, nor do I understand human customs the way she does," she paused, taking a breath. "I made a promise to protect you, for her sake. I can protect you from many things Lena Luthor, but I cannot protect you from yourself."

"I don't understand," Lena said, confused.

"You speak of betrayal as if it is a badge of honor Lena. You hold on to it like a shield, you look for it in the eyes of every person you know." Astra spoke, memories of being betrayed by her own sister rising to the surface. "You must learn to look for trust, you need to have faith in people like Kara has in you."

At those words, Lena winced. "I was raised not to trust, have you ever been betrayed, Astra, so deeply that it scarred you for life."

Astra released Lena's hands and placed her hand over the spot where a kryptonite sword pierced her heart. "Like you Lena, I know the cost. My own sister used her daughter as a way to capture and arrest me for crimes on Krypton."

"Kara?" Lena gasped.

"Yes, although she was innocent of any wrongdoing. Alura used my love for Kara against me." Astra thought back to that night, so long ago. "I bore that betrayal throughout my imprisonment. The cost was high, but Kara, my Little One, she never lost faith. She has that same faith in you Lena Luthor, and so it seems does your friend Andrea."

Lena blinked, perhaps Astra understood more than she thought.

"These two women Lena, would willingly give up their world for you, would they not?" Astra asked seriously.

Lena nodded solemnly.

"You call yourself their friend, yet you are unable to do the same for them," Astra spoke softly, allowing the words to have their effect.

Lena gasped, her eyes opened widely, "Oh god, I have to go after her. I have to make this right."

Astra smiled, "May Rao's light guide your way Lena Luthor."

As the door to the balcony closed, Astra slowly lifted off, intending to perform a quick patrol of the city before meeting her niece at home later in the evening.

As Lena rushed out of her office and entered her private elevator, Kara and Sam were entering the elevator to Kara's room. The elevators passed, mere inches from each other, the occupants unaware of each other's presence.

Sam pushed a tired but excited Kara out of the elevator and into her room for the last time. She got her into the bathroom, checked her stitches and then excused herself so Kara could get dressed. While the adorable blonde was getting dressed Sam stepped up to the window, looking down on the city, seeing Lena's personal vehicle rush out of the underground parking garage and Astra flying a random patrol over the city. She allowed herself a happy smile, knowing that she would have Kara all to herself for the next few hours, she even thought about what kind of future she could have with Kara by her side. Then she heard the door click open and turned with a smile to see Kara coming out, dressed down in jeans and a sweatshirt. In her arms she held her uniform, holding it tightly to her chest as if it might disappear if she let it go.

"You ready sweetheart." Sam smiled.

"Do I get to drive?" Kara laughed. The sound was so magical, Sam's smile grew that much wider.

"Not this time, maybe after you heal, okay," Sam answered seriously.

Kara crinkled her nose, "Okay!"

Kara sat in the wheelchair willingly this time, and Sam turned off the lights as they closed the door and headed down the hall. She pushed the button and they waited patiently for the elevator to arrive. As the door opened she held out her hand to help Kara up.

Kara looked up at her, a confused look on her face.

"We're going home sweetheart, no more chair," Sam smiled, as Kara took her hand and stood up. They entered the elevator, and Sam felt the pressure increase a little on her hand as Kara's fear threatened to rise. As quickly as it started, it faded away, but Kara kept holding her hand, just in case.

They arrived in the parking garage, and Sam's car was parked in the space closest to the elevator, the top already down. Kara stopped and stared at the car, "You rented a Mercedes E450 to drive me home?"

Sam shook her head, "You know cars?"

"You do know my sister right." Kara laughed, once again causing goosebumps up and down Sam's arms.

"Good point." Sam laughed. She placed the bag with Kara's uniform in the back seat and opened the passenger door. Kara slowly slid in and as she settled in, she pulled a scrunchy off her wrist and put her hair up in a ponytail, then placed a pair of sunglasses over her eyes. Sam stepped around to the driver's side and got in, copying Kara movements and pulling back her own hair and putting on her sunglasses, then she pushed the button and the car started, She backed out of the space with ease, put the car in drive, and headed towards the exit.

As they pulled onto the highway towards Midvale, Kara looked back at National City, sighing heavily as she realized she didn't know when she would be back.

"Are you okay sweetheart?" Sam asked.

"Hm? I'm fine Sami, it just feels funny to be leaving like this, I miss flying," Kara admitted.

"I think I understand a little. It is an amazing feeling, but you will be flying again before you know it," Sam said, trying to reassure Kara.

"This is almost as good Sami," Kara said, pulling the scrunchy out of her hair, letting her blonde hair fly in the wind. "Thank you."

"For what?" Sam asked.

"Keeping your promises, and most of all, being here for me through all this," Kara smiled.

"Kara, I'm here as long as you want me around." Sam smiled, walking a very thin line about holding back her feelings.

"You know we have a really long lifespan right? I'll hold you to that promise," she smiled. "Can you go a little faster?"

Sam checked her rearview mirror and scanned ahead as far as she could see, then floored the gas pedal and felt the small car jump forward. She looked over to see Kara, her chin lifted, eyes closed, sunlight shining through her hair and thought to herself, 'You are so beautiful.'

They hit some curves and Sam felt Kara's fingers wrapped around her hand. "Want me to slow down?" she smiled.

"No," she yelled over the wind. "This is amazing."

They rode in silence for some time and Sam felt Kara's hand relax as they hit a straight section of the road. She looked over and saw Kara's head leaning back, her eyes closed. She had fallen asleep. Sam slowed down just a bit, enjoying the feel of Kara's hand on hers and kept driving towards her new future.

Lena Luthor pulled up in front of Andrea's condo. She parked her car and headed in. The security guard recognized her immediately and stopped her just to ask who she was there to see.

"Andrea Rojas," Lena answered patiently, although inside her nerves were frayed.

"Ah yes Ms. Luthor, you are on her list, take the #6 elevator, and press the top black button. It will take you to her floor," he responded with a smile.

"Thank you," Lena responded, trying not to run to the elevator.

She entered the elevator and pushed the black button as instructed, and tapped her foot, as the elevator headed up to Andrea's condo. It finally reached its destination, and she stepped out into a hallway, with only one door at the end. She approached the door, sinking into the thick carpet, looking over the lovely rich colors that contrasted so well with Andrea's personality, realizing how sterile her own apartment must look, and wondering how that spoke of her own personality.

Knocking lightly on the door, she called out, "Andi? Andi are you home, it's me, it's Lena."

The door opened and Andrea was standing there, she had washed all the makeup off her face, and was dressed in loose linen pants and a t-shirt. She looked at Lena, her eyes were guarded, but she invited Lena in.

"Andi…" Lena started.

"Lena, I'm so sorry for what I said, I shouldn't have lost my temper. You have been through so much the last few…"

"Oh god Andrea, be quiet." Lena interrupted, "you do not owe me an apology. I was in the wrong, I never should have shut you out, I never should have let you leave."

Andrea was shocked, and silent, this wasn't what she expected.

"I have let betrayal and lack of trust rule my life, and I need to take some steps to remedy that, and I want to know if you will stand by me, no I need you to stand with me through this new journey," Lena asked, biting her lip. "I need your help, Andi."

The two women stood looking at one another as the door closed…

"Kara, sweetheart, we are home," Sam whispered softly as they pulled onto the road leading to their houses.

Kara awoke with a start. "Sami?"

"Shh, it's okay hon, you fell asleep about halfway here. We're almost home." Sam reassured her.

"I'm sorry," Kara spoke quietly.

"Nonsense, it's been a long day for you, and stressful. It's completely understandable, you are still recovering."

"You sure, it was supposed to be a chance for us to reconnect a little bit," Kara smiled, placing her hand on Sam's.

"Of course I am, you need rest, and if I can give you that, I'll take it," Sam responded, resisting the urge to lift Kara's hand to her lips.

They rounded the final curve and noticed many cars in Eliza's driveway. It seemed as if everyone had decided to be here for Kara's first day home. "Wow," Kara said. "Everyone decided to come?"

"Looks that way sweetheart, you okay with this?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, smells like Alex is cooking on the grill too." Kara smiled, then blushed as her stomach growled loudly, causing her and Sam to both crack up. "I've not eaten today."

"Oh honey, you should have said something, we could have stopped," Sam said quickly.

"It's okay, I was so nervous I probably couldn't have eaten anyway," Kara grinned, then jokes. "But at least we know my appetite is back."

"With a vengeance," Sam giggled.

Sam pulled the car into her driveway and stepped out, she heard Ruby's whispering on the wind, "Come around the side mom."

She smiled and whispered, "ok." Then she stepped around and helped Kara out.

"Thanks, Sami, is that my surprise, the party I mean," Kara asked seriously.

Sam bit her lip, "That's part of it, I told them all you would figure it out."

"Alex only cooks for special occasions, and everyone is here, so it must be a party," she explained, then her stomach growled again.

"Come on Kara, let's get you fed," Sam said as she held out her arm, which Kara took gratefully. They headed around the house and everyone was there waiting. Sam made sure that Kara was first as they all yelled, "Welcome Home!"

All her family gathered around, each earning a hug and a kiss on the cheek until everyone had a turn. Then it was time to eat, and Kara surprised everyone by actually eating. Half-way through her second burger, she slowed down enough to look around at everyone watching her. "What?" She asked, "I haven't eaten all day." Everyone laughed and relaxed for the first time she had disappeared.

Eliza whispered into Sam's ear. Sam nodded and she and Eliza headed into the house. They emerged a few minutes later carrying a few pies. Kara looked up and saw the pans, "No way," she smiled. "You made chocolate pecan pie? You only make that for Thanksgiving." She was so excited she was bouncing in her seat.

"This is a special occasion Kara, you are getting better and you are home," Eliza smiled widely. Everyone smiled as she started eating one pie right out of the pan. She only ate a few bites, but it was the joy that made everyone's night. Finally, everyone finished eating and Kelly stood up.

"Kara, honey, we have one more surprise for you tonight," Kelly smiled as she pulled the blonde from the table. Kara hadn't noticed that throughout the evening, people would disappear for a few minutes at a time, and even now, she didn't notice that Nia and Ruby were nowhere to be found.

Sam sat at the table and was joined by Cat.

"So Samantha, want to tell me why you aren't over there with them?" Cat asked, looking Sam dead in the eyes.

Sam dropped her head, "Twice today I have come close to either telling her or showing her how I feel."

"You're scared Kara will reject you?" Cat asked, "or scared that she won't."

Sam nodded. "Guilty as charged Cat, I don't want to rush her."

"Oh my god, why do you all think that she is so oblivious?" Cat asked, exasperated. "I have never met a more perceptive or intelligent woman in my life, other than maybe Lucy and Lois Lane. She may not realize the depth of your feelings, but she knows better than you think how you feel about her."

Sam was speechless.

"Samantha, she visited you in Metropolis regularly, I'm assuming she told you her identity, and you have been here by her side since this all started, haven't you?" Cat listed.

"Yes, ma'am," Sam spoke at a whisper.

"I'm not suggesting that you walk over there and declare your devotion to her, but do not underestimate her, please," Cat asked.

"I'll try not to, but I don't…" Sam paused, trying to think about what she was saying.

"You don't want to be a rebound, a consolation prize?" Cat asked, "because of her feelings for Lena?"

The pained expression on Sam's face said it all, and she hung her head, "no I don't."

"How long Sam?" Cat asked, "How long have you had feelings for Kara?"

"Long time Cat, I don't know when it actually started, I just know I want what is best for her," Sam smiled sadly.

"We all do Samantha." Cat smiled as she whispered, patting Sam's hand.

Sam looked up, smiling, "Thanks, Cat."

Kara was facing the lake when Nia and Ruby walked around the far corner of the house. Between them, on a leash was the cutest white puppy Sam and Cat had ever seen. Sam cocked her head though, it wasn't the breed that Kelly had talked about though.

"Turn around Kara," Alex whispered in her sister's ear.

Kara turned, and her cerulean eyes met the ice blue of the puppy's. Her mouth dropped open and Nia knelt down and unclipped the puppy's collar from her leash. With the sudden freedom and intelligence that surprised everyone, the little dog shot straight to her new mistress. Kara dropped to her knees meeting the rushing puppy head-on. The little dog jumped and tackled Kara, licking her face and cementing her place in Kara's heart in one short leap. Kara and the puppy played for five minutes before she finally cried out, "Enough."

The little dog stopped immediately and sat in front of Kara, her ears at attention, waiting for Kara's next command. Alex palmed a small treat and handed it to Kara, who fed it to the little dog. "So what do you think, Kar?"

"She's perfect Alex!" Kara smiled, "what's her name?"

"That's up to you Kara," Kelly smiled.

"Where did she come from?" Kara asked, thinking that this might help with a name.

"That's kind of a funny story," Alex laughed. "I'll let Kelly tell you."

Kelly stuck her tongue out at Alex, then smiled at Kara. "So you remember Sunday when we had to leave, our appointment?" Kara nodded and Kelly continued. "We were going to look at some purebred Labrador Retriever puppies. The only problem was that none of them really had the right temperament for you."

"So we left the breeder and headed back into town. Well on the way in, we passed by the National City shelter, and I decided to stop," Alex interjected.

"My story Alexandra," Kelly smiled as she kissed Alex on the cheek to shut her up. "Alex stopped at the shelter and we went in. That little lady there was in the last kennel, all by herself, they found her on the side of the road with no other dogs and brought her in. They said she had been there for about a month and a half, and no one had claimed her. So after being alone in a cage and being sick for part of her stay, Alex thought she would be perfect for you."

"She's an orphan, all alone like I was," Kara confirmed, tears rolling down her cheeks. "She's perfect Kelly, thank you so much."

Now everyone was crying and Kara stood, lifting the puppy up with her, "Now you just need a name missy." She looked around, "Where Sami?" Her head turned towards the table and caught the hazel eyes of the woman she was looking for.

As their eyes connected Sam stood up and walked towards Kara and the rest of their family. Cat followed, muttering under her breath, "Right again."

Sam smiled at the words, and turned slightly, peeking at the diminutive blonde, who shrugged and winked.

"What's going on sweetheart?" Sam asked with a smile.

"She needs a name, what do you think?" Kara asked seriously.

Sam thought for a few minutes, a certain movie flashed through her mind, Kara's favorite movie, and now Ruby's. A series of books they had read together one weekend when Kara visited. Names flashed through her head, and then, a light when on. "Ozma!" Sam smiled, "from the third book."

Everyone looked confused, except for Kara and Ruby.

"That's perfect Sami," Kara smiled. Then she set the puppy down, and as the puppy sat in the middle of her new family, Kara spoke.

"Welcome to your new family, Princess Ozma."


	27. Therapy and Four-Legged Friends

_**You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along. **_

Eleanor Roosevelt

Kara felt a soft, warm wet tongue licking her fingers as she burrowed deeper into her blankets. She had slept through the night without human company, the first time since coming home a little more than two weeks ago. She rolled over to face her puppy, pulling her hand away from Ozma and smiled, "Good morning, Princess Ozma."

The white puppy's eyes seemed to light up and her tail started to wag as she licked Kara's face and sniffed her all over. When she was satisfied that Kara was okay, she hopped off the bed and moved towards the door. "Okay baby, let me get a sweater and I'll take you out." With her power levels non-existent and the temperature dropping outside as autumn started to come to Midvale, Kara was trying to avoid any situation that would make her sick. She opened her door and silently made her way downstairs, letting Ozma out into the backyard. She shivered a little at the cold and Ozma finished her business and made her way back to her mistress. They entered the house, Kara made sure her puppy was fed and had water and then made a pot of coffee and made herself a cup of hot chocolate, then sat down on the couch and turned on the news. Ozma finished her breakfast, looked around for her mistress and upon seeing her, hopped up onto the couch, settling into the crook of Kara's knees.

Upstairs, Alex could hear Kara moving around, but Kelly's hand rested on hers pleading with her to let Kara fend for herself. She kissed Kelly's hand and forced herself to stay in bed, allowing herself to believe in her sister.. Eliza was in her own room willing herself to do the same thing Alex and Kelly were doing in their room. Finally, the smell of coffee drew everyone from their rooms and downstairs, where they found Kara watching the news and taking notes. Ozma looked up, approving of the new company and returning her head to Kara's knees.

"Seems as if someone takes their job very seriously." Alex smiled at the puppy, then held up a treat. Ozma looked to the treat and then up at Kara.

"Go ahead, Ozma, get your good girl bone." Kara smiled, scratching her behind the ear. The puppy walked eagerly up to Alex for her treat. Alex bent down and gave Ozma her treat and a scratch then watched the puppy return to Kara to eat her biscuit and get back on the couch.

They heard a knock on the door and then in walked Ruby from across the street, Ozma raised her head sniffed and her tail started to wag.

* * *

Sam sat staring at her computer, normally she had no problem getting into work mode, but this morning her mind was stuck on a comment that had slipped from Kara's mouth the day before. Finally, she lifted her cell off the desk and dialed Lois's number.

"Lois Lane," Lois answered without looking at her caller ID.

"Hey, Lois, it's Sam, Samantha Arias," Sam spoke, nervous about what she was about to ask.

"Sam, is Kara okay? What's going on?" Lois asked, a slight panic in her voice.

"Kara's fine, Lois. I need a favor, I hate to ask, but I need to speak with Clark," Sam sputtered into the phone.

"Sam, is everything okay?" Lois was smiling into the phone.

"Kara misses flying, I want to take her, I need lessons and I was hoping…"Sam sputtered again.

"You want Clark to teach you?" Lois asked.

"Yes." Sam gasped.

"Give me a minute, Sam," Lois put her finger over the phone and walked into the living room. "Clark, it's Sam Arias, she needs some help." Lois handed him the phone and walked away.

"Sam, hello," Clark swallowed. "What can I do for you?"

"Hey, Clark, I need you to give me some flying lessons. Kara is missing flying and we don't know how long before her powers are back." Sam rushed out.

"Ok, yes, I'll teach you, we'll start tonight. Wear something dark." Clark agreed, he would do anything to get off the couch in the living room.

* * *

"Breakfast is ready," Eliza called out from the kitchen.

Everybody stood and headed for the table, including Ozma. As they made it to the table, Kara turned to Ozma, "Ozma, sit. Stay." Kara spoke so softly, but Ozma followed instructions and Kara tossed her a small piece of bacon. After her treat, she curled up under Kara's chair and closed her eyes.

"Damn, she's a smart dog," Alex commented, as the puppy looked up and met her eyes.

Everyone dug into breakfast, including Kara. And while she didn't out eat Alex or Ruby, her appetite was making a comeback.

"Feeling better, Kara?" Kelly asked.

"I slept last night, no nightmares, no panic attacks, my appetite is still coming back, but I miss my powers and these stitches itch, bad." Kara smiled, then continued, "and this cast is a pain."

The cast should be off in two weeks Kara, unless your cells start healing faster," Eliza spoke up. "Your healing, hearing and enhanced vision should be the first of your powers to come back. Just like when you came to live with us."

"How long on flying?" Kara asked.

"Remember how much trouble you had after seeing your cousin on TV?" Alex asked, "flight will probably be the last of your powers to come back."

Kara frowned and she crinkled her brow. "I miss flying," she whispered.

"We know, Kara," Ruby smiled. "We can wait on my training 'til you feel better."

"No, Rubes, I made a promise, and Auntie A can help, we just have to work late in the day." Kara smiled. Then she frowned, "I wish it had never come to this, then I could have been there for you and your mom when your powers started to develop."

Kelly saw the opening she was looking for, and she bit her lip and patted Alex's hand, working up the nerve to ask. Then as Alex squeezed her fingers, Kelly asked, "Kara, what do you think caused all this?"

Kara looked up at Kelly, "Secrets."

"Why do you say that, Kara?" Kelly followed up.

"Lena hated secrets," She answered, thinking, "if I hadn't kept mine for so long, none of us would be where we are right now."

"Why did you keep it, Kara, why didn't you tell her before?" Kelly spoke softly.

Kara thought for a minute, "I was selfish, I wanted Lena to just know Kara. She never really liked Supergirl. I'm not sure how to explain it." She paused for an instant, as Alex helped her mom clear the table.

Kara thought for a few minutes, then Eliza interrupted, suggesting they move out onto the porch. Kelly nodded and so did Kara, who looked to Ozma, who's ears perked and she headed to the door. The four women, Ruby and Ozma made their way out onto the porch. Kara sat on the swing as Kelly, Alex and Eliza took the chairs. Ozma and Ruby made their way into the yard and were playing.

"It's kind of weird, Kelly. When I'm Supergirl, it's like I am a different person, I am more confident, I'm not hiding anything. Kara is more an extension of who I really am." She bit her lower lip. "I know when people meet me as Kara, they think I'm a reporter, a nerd, kind of a wimp."

"So which one are you?" Kelly smiled.

"I'm Kara, shy, nerdy. I was supposed to be a scientist on Krypton. I hide who I am because people don't see me when I'm Kara Danvers. I can come and go and people don't miss me, I blend in. That's what Jeremiah wanted, for me to blend in, to protect Eliza and Alex." Kara looked down at her hands, fumbling with her fingers. "When I became Supergirl, I realized that protecting my friends and family is not about them knowing my identity, it's about bad people becoming aware of their knowledge."

"What do you mean, Kara?" Kelly frowned, she had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"Bad people can use my friends against me. Do you have any idea what I would do to protect Alex or Eliza? Do you know what I would do to protect you?" Kara asked. She looked from face to face. "When Lena found out who I was, she asked me to steal Lex's journals from government storage, and I did it without a thought." Kara searched for her glasses on her face, remembering they weren't there and stared out over the lake. "If I would do that, why would I hesitate to do anything else?"

Then Kelly had a thought, something Kara needed to think about, "Why did you tell Sam and Ruby?"

A slow smile came to Kara's face. "They were safe." She looked at the confused look on Alex's face, "not like that Alex. They were a safe place for me. It was somewhere I could go when I needed to get away from the world." She smiled at all the memories flashing through her head, "Sam and Ruby never called me Supergirl after I told them who I really was, like you and Eliza. Ruby is so curious too when I started telling her about Krypton, it helped me to remember home."

"You have the Fortress?" Alex looked hesitant to mention that word to Kara.

"I'm not going to shatter when you say the word, Alex." She smiled at her sister, "The Fortress isn't Krypton, it's not home. Do you remember what my parents' home looked like when I was under the Black Mercy, Alex?"

Alex shuddered, then remembered, "Yes, it was all warm colors, homey." Then it dawned on her, "the fortress isn't like that at all, it's cold, almost surgical."

"It's not home, it's a pale reminder of a dead planet Alex. Kal never knew Krypton, there was no basis for his memories." Kara smiled. "Sam and Ruby, their condo is warm, it has colors. Don't laugh, but Sam never changes anything, it was always the same."

Alex laughed, so did Eliza. "Kara's room has been the same since she came to live with us."

"At first I was going to let Alex know I was visiting, but I got selfish. Sam, she was so scared of not being accepted by us, because of Reign. She was so ashamed." Kara frowned, "she still has bad dreams because of it."

"I didn't know that," Alex frowned.

"She won't say anything to anyone, because she still thinks we hold it against her," Kara smiled. "None of us do, even mother. Well, now she doesn't, but Sam, I think she will always carry that guilt."

"Kara, you said you got selfish. What did you mean?" Kelly asked.

"Rubes, she accepted me, no questions asked, she wanted to know about home, questions I could answer and no one else could, not even the wonderful and amazing Auntie A." Kara giggled as Alex cringed, "but with Sam, it was the closest relation I've had to anyone other than Alex and Lena. Even Lucy and Nia, they are friends, but with Sam, it was just different." Kara watched Ruby and Ozma playing, "She was there when no one else was."

Alex stood up and walked over and sat down next to Kara, "My memories?"

"Not just that, Alex, a little, yes. Lena was always busy, and then you. I couldn't talk to you, you didn't remember anything." Kara was silent again, she didn't want to hurt Alex, but she knew to heal, she had to get this out. "I never want to lose you again. You are why I came out as Supergirl, you inspire me every day, you really are my hero, Alex."

Alex pulled Kara into a hug and just held her for a few minutes. Something in the air must have changed because little Princess Ozma was suddenly sitting at her mistress's feet. She jumped up and burrowed between the sisters, not to push Alex away, but to support them both.

"Damn, that's a smart dog." Kelly smiled.

* * *

National City, Andrea Roja's Condo

Lena rolled over and opened her eyes. She rubbed them and had to shake her head. She was on the right side of the bed, but the view was all wrong. She rolled over the other way, and there she was, Andrea. They weren't under the covers and she was still dressed in the same linen pants and t-shirt she was wearing last night. Lena was still fully dressed as well, and she released a breath. They had talked all night, and she felt like she had taken the first step towards rebuilding her relationship with Andrea.

Andrea's eyes fluttered open, "Morning, Lena."

"Hi, Andi, thank you for last night." Lena smiled, "thank you for agreeing to stand by me."

"Lena, we don't have to rush anything, your health is the most important thing, and I know you still care for Kara." Andrea smiled, even though it hurt to admit it. "We will take as long as you need."

Lena smiled, "Thank you. How about some lunch, my treat."

"That sounds amazing." Andrea smiled. 'Little steps' she thought to herself, 'even if it never happens, at least I got my friend back.'

* * *

Midvale

"Kelly?" Kara asked.

"What is it, Kara?" A question from Kelly.

"Would you like to join me and Ozma on her walk?" Kara smiled, "Maybe continue our conversation?"

Kelly smiled, a mixture of pride and joy, finally feeling like she was helping. "Yes, of course. Let me grab a sweater."

Ten minutes later Kelly and Kara were making their way down the shoreline, slowly, but Kara seemed to be more energized. The natural light was helping a lot more than Lena had predicted. Although Kelly thought the lack of stress had a bit to do with it as well.

"Thank you, Kelly, thanks for this morning." Kara smiled as Ozma walked beside her. "Thank you for the puppy too."

"She's amazing, Kar." Kelly noticed a smile on Kara's face at the use of Alex's nickname.

"She is, she will be a wonderful support dog for me." Kara smiled, squatting down and scratching Ozma's head, "Is that the right spot, girl?" Ozma's wagging tail must have meant yes because Kara's smile grew that much brighter.

"She will help with your fears, Kara," Kelly said, nervous about this part of the conversation.

"You know you are really good at this, Kels." Kara smiled, "you led me right where you wanted."

Kelly laughed, "You've read my papers, haven't you?"

"You're my sister's girlfriend, I'm kind of overprotective of Alex," Kara giggled. "There's a bench that mom and Alex built just on the other side of that clearing, we can sit for a bit."

"Are you okay, getting tired?" Kelly asked.

"Just a little, but it's good for me, I need this, I need to be me again," Kara smiled.

They reached the bench and Kelly rubbed her hand over the wood, especially Alex's initials carved into the wood. "This is beautiful." She smiled.

"Mom and Alex built it one weekend while I was away at school, they were bored and needed a project, and this spot was where Alex caught her first fish with Jeremiah." Kara frowned, "She doesn't come here anymore."

"Alex won't talk about Jeremiah with me." Kelly frowned.

Kara patted Kelly's hand, "She won't talk about it with anyone, I think his betrayal at the end hurts more than she lets on."

"Maybe someday, huh Kar?" Kelly smiled weakly, "Now, back to the responsibilities of Princess Ozma."

"She's supposed to help me in anxiety-filled situations, right?" Kara smiled.

"I'm going to stop you from reading my papers, Kar." Kelly laughed. "Her job is to identify to you and to people around you when you are panicky or anxious about a situation."

"So, when I'm scared or worried?" Kara clarified.

"Right, so if you are feeling alone or isolated, she will react and help you calm down, or help people around you identify that you are scared or upset."

"How does she know?" Kara asked curiosity piqued.

"According to scientists, they react to smell and hormones." Kelly explained, "I'm not an expert on this part, but she reacted to Alex and her worry about you in a positive way when we first saw her. Then there was her reaction when we brought her out to you. She knew exactly who to go to, who needed her."

"So am I hers, or is she mine?" Kara smiled, rubbing the puppy and the three of them settled onto the bench.

"I like to think it's a little of both. I have a lot of patients who have emotional support animals, and it is almost always as if they belong to one another." Kelly smiled, "I had an older lab, Beretta, when I first got home. She's what I needed then."

"What happened to her?" Kara asked, not so sure she wanted to know.

"She was almost 10 when I rescued her, or when she rescued me. She passed away about a year before I met Alex," Kelly said, looking away to dry a tear.

Kara patted Kelly's hand and Ozma whimpered and licked at her face. This caused Kelly to smile, sadly at first, but then she started to laugh. "Like I said before, she's a smart dog."

"You and Alex should get a pet. She's a cat person, but I imagine a dog wouldn't bother her too much," Kara suggested. "Alex isn't going to stay here when you go back to National City, is she?"

"Kara, we aren't going to leave you, but.." Kelly explained, "We both have jobs we have to get back to eventually."

"No, that's not what I meant, Kels, I meant-what I meant is that…" Kara was tongue tied, "you two are good for one another, I don't want…"

"You don't want to be what, Kar?" Kelly leaned down, trying to get Kara to look at her, "you don't want to be the reason we aren't together?"

Kara nodded, feeling foolish, she didn't want Alex to give up something else because of her. "Kelly, she has taken care of me since we were in high school, I can't keep being the reason she doesn't have her own life."

"Kara, I don't know if you realize that she puts just as much importance on your support as you put on hers. She doesn't give up things because of you." Kelly took a breath to calm down, "Family is so important to you two, anyone who is allowed to see how you and Alex are, anyone who is allowed into your family, it means the world to us."

Kara looked to Kelly, trying to understand.

Kelly continued, "Alex and I haven't been together that long, we are still learning who we are when we are together. What I am learning is that Alex wants family, not just to be a mom, she craves having all of us around." Kelly looked up, she laughed just a bit, "She needs to know, just like you, that her family will always be there for her, and all of us; Me, Lucy, Sam, Ruby...everyone that has been here, you two are what bond all of us together."

Kara smiled, and wrapped her arms around Kelly, "Thank you, Kels. Thanks for taking care of my Alex."

"Don't you dare tell her I told you this, Kara Danvers." Kelly smiled, laughing at herself.

"Doctor to patient confidentiality." Kara laughed.

They laughed together for a few minutes and then as they settled down Kara asked, "Do you think everyone is disappointed in me, Kelly?"

Kelly heard the question, but she also heard what Kara wasn't saying. "Kara, honey, you didn't fail us, you didn't fail anyone."

Kara looked down, then lifted her head and looked across the lake, "I failed the whole world, I gave up, and if Alex and Brainy hadn't found me, Lena…" she trailed off.

Ozma was pushing her way under Kara's arm, trying to get to her face, to calm her down. Kelly put her hand on top of Kara's. "You didn't fail Lena. You didn't fail anyone, Kara, you did what you always do, you chose to believe the best in everyone."

"But I was wrong, Supergirl isn't supposed to be wrong, she's supposed to do the right thing, every time, every single time." Kara buried her face into Ozma fur.

This was Kelly's fear, her worry, Kara's confidence in herself was gone, she didn't trust her own feelings, she had fears, just like anyone, but Kara feared failure, especially failing her friends and family more than anything else. While they all thought that Kara's anguish had come just from being alone and trapped, Lena had taken away her faith in herself, Lena had tapped into Kara's fear of failure, and that, more than anything else, was hurting her friend. 'How do I help her get past this,' Kelly thought to herself.

"Kara, why did you want Sam to help Lena?" Kelly asked.

"Lena was-is my friend, and she wouldn't take care of herself." Kara answered, "Sam always does the right thing, I believed in Sam, I knew she would help me take care of Lena."

"And why did you let Ruby fly the night you got hurt?" Kelly continued.

"Because I promised her I would help her learn, because it was the only way she would get confident in her abilities." Kara answered.

"Yet, she made a mistake, and you are still going to teach her." Kelly smiled.

"We all make-we all make mistakes," Kara looked into Kelly's eyes.

"We all make mistakes, Kara, and we learn from those mistakes and move forward. Lena chose to believe you betrayed her, she chose to trap you, she chose her own path. You chose to believe in her, because that's what a hero does," Kelly paused as she pointed at Kara's heart. "A hero accepts everyone's imperfections, and does her best to make the world a better place."

"But my mistakes…"Kara was stopped, as Kelly held up her hand.

"Are lessons that you learn from Kara. The world is still spinning, the sun still shines, and this world is a better place because you, Kara Danvers, are still a part of it." Kelly smiled warmly.

Kara looked up, scratching her puppy on the head, staring across the lake. Kelly sat beside her, wrapped her arm over Kara's shoulder and they sat there for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company and watching the water. "Thank you, Kels," Kara whispered and she leaned her head onto Kelly's shoulder. Kelly smiled as they sat and enjoyed the sun and the silence.

* * *

Lena and Andrea had just finished getting coffee and tea ready when they heard a knock on the door. Lena approached, noticing that she was less hesitant this time than the last.

Lena Luthor opened the door, and smiled as she greeted Harley with a hug and an apology. "I'm so sorry, Harley, it's been a rough week."

"I have to commend you, Lena, taking care of such a situation when you are so upset, I'm impressed," Harely smiled.

"Work has a tendency to help me focus." Lena tried to smile, but Harley could see through it.

"That's an understatement," Andrea said coming into the room from the study.

Lena turned and stuck her tongue out at Andrea, who returned the gesture as she grabbed her tablet, earbuds and her latte. She settled onto the couch, popped in her earbuds and opened a book. "You ladies have fun," she smiled as she clicked play on her music and started reading.

"Well, I guess that is our cue to head into the study," Lena smiled at Harley.

"Very well, shall we." Harley laughed as she and Lena moved into the study.

They settled into the same spots as before and Harley noticed that the act that Lena had put on at the door wasn't an act at all, she was much more relaxed.

"Lena?" Harley asked, "what changed?"

"Hmm," Lena looked confused."

"You have only really dealt with me twice, what has changed that has you so much more relaxed." Harley smiled, she thought she knew the answer, but wasn't sure.

"Andi and I, we are trying to fix things, our friendship, I mean," Lena answered.

"And this is important to you?" Harley asked.

"It wasn't." Lena was thinking hard, "Two, no, three people have reminded me over the past week, that betrayal isn't a badge of honor, holding on to it is bad for me."

"Oh really," Harley smirked, "I would assume Andi is one."

Lena smiled, really smiled, "Andi is a dear friend, probably my oldest friend, and I allowed myself to cut her out of my life without ever finding out her side of our story. The second is someone I met through work, someone who is a bit like me, but has learned about betrayal the hard way, and let it shape her thoughts for a long time."

Harley looked at Lena, then asked the dreaded question, "and the third?"

Lena took a deep breath, poking her tongue into her cheek, trying to form the answer in her head before she spoke. "The last one is a friend, well hopefully still a friend, that I failed. I failed to understand her feelings in a situation that I felt was a betrayal." She paused for just a moment, "we are trying, both of us, but I think maybe my failure may have taken us to a point where we can't fix things."

"Do you know how she feels about this situation?" Harley asked.

"She's a huge believer in people, if I know her, she has already forgiven me. I just have to figure out why I couldn't forgive her," Lena looked away.

"Seems like you have taken a few really good steps over the last week Lena, and I notice you have gained a little weight." Harley smiled, "your cheeks are fuller, and the circles under your eyes aren't as pronounced."

"So, Lena, you have friends on your side, what about your homework, did you find out anything about your mother?" Harley smoothly changed the subject.

"They helped with that too." Lena laughed, "I really seem to have finally found a family."

"And what did you find out, Lena?" Harley asked.

"My mother was-would have been-I'm like her, a scientist." Lena smiled slightly, "she was working on a cure, a cure for cancer."

"Just like you?" Harley smiled, "I did a little research."

"My friends helped me find out where she lived, where she went to school, that she worked for my company." Lena laughed, "so many parallels."

"So you are just like her, Lena?" Harley wondered, guiding the conversation.

Lena thought hard for a moment, then answered, "No!"

"Any memory I have of my mother is happy, except for the last day I saw her, the day I failed her." Lena's eyes watered, "the day she drowned."

"So she didn't leave you on purpose, Lena?" Harley whispered.

"No, it was an accident." Lena breath caught, "We found the coroner's report, it was a terrible accident, her ankle got entangled in some trash on the bottom of the lake. She struggled so hard, her ankle was broken, she tried to get back to me, she didn't leave me on purpose."

"Lena?" Harley asked.

"I blamed her for so long, and it wasn't her or me, it was just a terrible accident," Lena tried to control herself, but couldn't, she started to cry and Harley stood to get Andrea. "She needs you for a few minutes."

Andrea entered the study, sitting down beside Lena and gathered her into her arms, patting her back. Lena continued to cry, mourning a loss, that as a child she couldn't understand, as a Luthor she wasn't allowed to process. Now the tears flowed freely as Lena Luthor, the daughter, could finally forgive the mother she thought had abandoned her.

Twenty minutes later, Andrea came out of the study, "She's ready, Dr. Quinn."

"It's Harley, Andrea, just Harley." She patted the woman's shoulder, "Thank you, thank you for being here for her."

"Harley, I will be here every time, anytime she needs me." Andrea tried to smile, but couldn't.

"She knows that, Andrea." Harley smiled one more time and re-entered the study.

"Hi, Lena, are you ready to continue, or feel like stopping for the day?" Harley asked

"We can continue." Lena said, wiping her face. "Sorry."

"Nonsense, you never mourned her death Lena, you needed to let some of that grief go," Harley explained.

Lena's phone suddenly buzzed, scaring her. She took a breath, "Sorry."

"Go ahead, Lena, it might be work," Harley shook her head as she pulled out her phone and texted Ivy rather quickly while Lena checked her phone.

She looked up when Lena started to laugh.

"Not work, I assume?" Harley looked over her glasses.

Lena turned the phone to show an adorable white puppy running across the yard and tripping rolling to a stop. She noticed another alert on her regular chat with Kara, and realized that this one had come to a group Kara named 'Family.'

Checking the other message rather quickly, she saw Kara's message.

Kara; 'Chess tonight, please?'

Lena; 'Yes, please. Everything okay?'

Kara; 'Everything is good, 10:30 okay?'

Lena; '10:30, who's the dog?'

Kara; 'Gift from Kelly, meet Princess Ozma.'

Lena; 'Very cute, in session with Harley.'

Kara; 'Oh, sorry, will email the link to the game.'

Lena; 'Thanks, Kara, for everything.'

Kara; ':)'

"Sorry Harley, a friend of mine got a puppy and wanted to show her off." Lena apologized.

"To a group called 'Family,' Lena?" Harley questioned.

"Yeah, she's the one that never gives up." Lena smiled slightly.

"You know, a pet is an excellent idea, Lena, it would help identify anxiety and help you with emotional release." Harley stated, "What do you think? I can recommend a few breeders."

"I'm not really a dog person," Lena shuddered.

"A cat, a bit distant, but still very helpful for emotional response." Harley suggested.

"I will give it some thought," Lena considered.

The rest of the session was productive, more discussions about Lena's mother and a study of Lillian that ended with Lena swearing in Gaelic. At the end Harley reminded Lena that at their next session they would be discussing the three remaining letters.

Lena took a deep breath, "That soon, huh?"

"We need to discuss them while they are still fresh in your mind, Lena." Harley smiled, "now if you will excuse me, Ivy is arriving in about an hour."

"We should do lunch one day this week," Lena smiled.

"I will ask Ivy. Thanks, Lena." Harley turned off her professional demeanor, and relaxed visibly.

She showed Harley to the door, and turned to Andi, "She thinks I should get a pet."

"Oh really," Andrea was shocked.

"A dog?" Lena screwed her nose up.

"What's wrong with a dog?" Andrea asked.

"They drool, and they shed." Lena answered.

"They also help you relax, exercise and some breeds are really good at managing anxiety," Andrea spoke in their defense.

"Someone had a dog, I see." Lena smiled.

"Yes, I had a German Shepherd, Dumpling, for years," Andrea smiled back.

"Dumpling?" Lena laughed.

"Her name was really long, and she looked like a dumpling. So, just be quiet." Andrea laughed, "I'll call some breeders."

"I didn't say yes." Lena stopped laughing.

"Yet," Andrea's smile grew.

* * *

Alex and Kelly came down stairs, dressed casually. "Mom?" Alex called out as she hit the last step.

"In the den. What ya need honey?" Eliza called back, causing Ozma to hop off the couch to investigate all the noise.

"We are headed out, you need something while we are out?" Alex called as she squatted down to pet Ozma, who was satisfied with the attention and turned and headed back to Kara.

"No, everything is good, you two have a good time." Eliza said as she walked into the kitchen. Kara followed behind her, along with Ruby and Ozma.

"What about dinner?" Kelly asked. "What are y'all eating?"

"Momma is bringing the stuff to make her famous fajitas," Ruby smiled.

"No fair, she's making fajitas," Alex whined. "Her fajitas are amazing."

"Then you can order fajitas at the restaurant. We need a date night, and your mom deserves some time with the girls." Kelly smiled, kissing Alex on the cheek.

"Fine, but you two," she pointed to Kara and Ruby, "better leave some." She and Kelly smiled and headed to the front door. They almost made it to the door, when both stopped and backtracked. They both hugged Kara, then headed back to the front. They were met by Sam as they headed out.

"You two have fun," she smiled as she passed them.

"Traitor," Alex muttered under her breath, forgetting for a moment that Sam could hear that.

"No fajitas for you, Agent Danvers," Sam smiled as she spoke.

"Oh damn, forgot you could hear me, Sam," Alex laughed. Then she and Kelly climbed into Alex's car to head into town.

Kara perked up as soon as Sam walked through the door. "Ready to cook sweetheart?"

Eliza's jaw dropped, "Kara cooks?"

"Yes, I've been teaching her for about a year and a half," Sam smiled.

"Really, so Sam's not cooking, Kara is, and Alex doesn't know that Kara's can cook," Eliza clarified.

Kara smiled, "Alex teases me about not being able to cook, so I kind of didn't tell her."

"She can't cook except for the grill Kara, you have nothing to be ashamed of," Eliza laughed. "Let's see what you've got."

"How about some music, instead of the news." Ruby asked as she entered the Den to turn off the TV.

"National City has a new hero," the reporter read from the teleprompter as a video of Astra played on the screen. "She wears the crest of our hometown Supergirl, and today she stopped an accident on the South Bay Bridge and stopped a fire on the north side of town. Seems like Supergirl wanted to make sure we were still safe without her here. Thank you, Supergirl."

Ruby was smiling as she shut off the TV. She started her music player and she watched as her mom and Kara stood side by side in the kitchen. The music had an immediate effect as Kara relaxed and started swaying in the kitchen, matching the beat of the music.

Eliza was watching as well, seeing Kara relaxed in the kitchen brought a huge smile to her face as they chopped vegetables and prepped everything. The next thing she knew the kitchen smelled of peppers and onions and a wonderful mix of herbs and spices. Then the chicken was added and Eliza and Ruby watched as Sam stood back, smiling and letting Kara finish up the meal. Kara seemed to be so much more relaxed as she danced around the kitchen, heating the tortillas and gathering up all the topping for the meal. She set the dishes at the bar and looked at everyone.

"What?" Kara asked, smiling and dancing around.

"Nothing baby, it's so refreshing seeing you like this." Eliza choked out.

Kara smiled, "I like cooking, and I really like being home. But nobody tell Alex."

Dinner was served, and Kara waited, watching nervously as Eliza took her first bite.

"Oh my god Kara, this is amazing." Eliza grinned, "This is wonderful, what else can you make?"

"A little of everything, Sami has been teaching me basics, but I am trying new recipes all the time," Kara smiled, encouraged by Eliza's reaction.

"Well from now on we can split the cooking. Deal?" Eliza laughed.

"Deal." Kara responded.

"These are better than mom's, Kara." Ruby smiled, inhaling her second fajita.

"Traitor," Sam whispered. 'They are better than mine,' she thought to herself.

* * *

Midvale, La Cocina Mexican Grill

"I'll have the chicken fajitas, please. And a water with lemon," Alex smiled at the waiter.

Kelly smiled behind her menu, "And I'll have the number 7 combo please, with water."

Alex glanced quickly at her menu, "you couldn't stand to admit that you wanted chicken fajitas too?"

Kelly got up from her chair and decided to sit on the same bench as Alex, "We haven't had this enough lately."

"I know honey, I'm so…" Alex started.

Kelly pressed her lips to Alex, and pulled back, watching her girlfriend blush all the way to the tips of her ears. "Not because of Kara honey, we both need to slow down. You are doing something so brave by stepping back from the field, I think it's my turn too."

Alex tilted her head, confused, "What are you thinking?"

Kelly smiled, "I think it's time to start my own practice Alex, to step away from the corporate world, the military, everything. I became a doctor to help people and I can't do that working for Obsidian." She stopped a minute, and saw a slow smile growing on Alex's face. "I've got enough socked away to get by till my practice gets established."

"You mean we could both have normal hours, and free weekends." Alex smiled.

"Yes," Kelly's smile started to grow too, "we could be that sickening couple that people see on Grey's Anatomy." She felt Alex's hand grab hers and squeeze.

"Is that what you want? This isn't about Kara?" Alex asked, holding her breath.

"This is about us, and family and maybe later, starting our own." Kelly breathed out as Alex let herself relax.

They were still kissing when the waiter brought their water and chips.

* * *

National City, Lena's Condo

It was 10:25 when Lena got the email from Kara with the link. Her nerves finally relaxed as she clicked the link…

The visuals were stunning, the background on the page was stunning. It was a planetscape, it reminded her of something she had seen before. Then she noticed a chat box in the lower corner.

Lena; 'Hey Kara, where did you find this site?'

Kara; 'Find it?'

Lena; 'Oh my god, you built this, didn't you?'

Kara; 'Yes, pretty badass right?'

Lena; 'I've seen the background before?'

Kara; 'It's Krypton, it's the painting that was in my bedroom. You are the first person to see this, other than Ruby and Sam.'

Lena felt a slight twinge of jealousy reading those words, but shrugged it off; 'Thank you.'

Kara; 'White or Black?'

Lena; 'White'

The board suddenly appeared on the screen. Lena was amazed as the game set itself up. The artwork was amazing, the colors, the graphics, there was even music.

Lena; 'Kara, this is amazing. You should market.'

Kara; 'What if nobody else likes it.'

Lena closed her eyes as she could almost hear the sadness, the lack of self-confidence in her friends words. She started to type 'I'm sorry' but knew that it would do no good. She was responsible for this, maybe she could fix it just a little. While she thought she made her first move.

Kara made hers as well; 'Sorry Lena, wasn't trying to make you mad, what are you thinking?'

Lena smiled as she made her next move; 'Not mad, thinking. What are you using to play?'

Kara studied the board and made a bold move, one Lena didn't see coming; 'I'm on my tablet, so I teach Sami as we play.'

Lena was shocked, 'WAIT, WE ARE PLAYING ON TWO DIFFERENT OPERATING SYSTEMS AT THE SAME TIME?'

Kara; 'Yes. Isn't that the point of these little games?'

Lena; '...'

Kara; 'Did I break something?'

Lena; 'How many lines?'

Kara; '2,534,362?'

Lena; 'Per operating system?'

Kara; 'IOS is a little smaller, why?'

Lena, making a move first, although she probably just sacrificed the piece; 'By yourself?'

Kara; 'Not all by myself, I was teaching Ruby a little and Lucy helped.'

Lena watched as Kara made her next move, she predicted that within ten moves Kara would win if she didn't do something drastic, but right now her mind was jumbled, so she made an empty move; 'Can I see the code?'

Kara looked at Sam, who nodded; 'Sam says yes, I can give you programming access, but it won't save changes until I see them.'

Lena; 'I don't want to make changes, I want to market it.'

Kara; 'Really?'

Lena; 'This is amazing Kara, I know you aren't working, this would help, it will give you some income.

Kara; 'That would be nice. Can Sami help?'

Lena; 'Yes, you can be an outside contractor, L Corp will be marketing.'

Lena resigned on her next move, she wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway, and she had to ask Kara something else.

Kara; 'You know you had 8 moves left before you crashed and burned?'

Lena; 'Rematch later, okay. I need to tell you something.'

Kara swallowed and gripped Sam's hand; 'What's going on?'

Lena; 'The letter I wrote you, last week…'

Kara; 'Yeah?'

Lena; 'Harley wants to discuss next week, I called you Supergirl. I'm sorry, I didn't know she was going to read them.'

Kara; 'You're asking permission to tell her?'

Lena held her head in shame as she typed; 'Yes, sorry.'

Kara; 'You can't tell her.'

Lena's eyes popped open, what was she going to do?

Kara; 'Reschedule your appointment for 4:30 Tuesday afternoon, and have her meet you here, at Sami's house.'

Lena; '?'

Kara: 'You can't tell her, but I can.'

Lena; 'Are you sure?'

Kara; 'We are still friends Lena, if this helps you heal, then I will be there for you, promise.'

Lena; 'Friends?'

Kara; 'It's why I asked Aunt Astra to watch over you, take care Lena. Don't mess up my code.'

The chat box closed as Kara disconnected. "Thank you, Kara." Lena smiled.

Andrea looked over Lena's shoulder, "That was a fast game?"

Lena smiled, "She said she was going to tell Harley. We have to go to Midvale next Tuesday."

Andrea looked stunned, "What is she going to do when she finds out I know?"

Lena responded with a smile, "She's going to ask you how, and then wonder why I never figured it out."

"Well we have a meeting tomorrow after work," Andrea looked at Lena with a smirk on her face. Then she held up her phone, on the screen was a gorgeous Belgian Malinois.

"It's a dog, why are we meeting her?" Lena asked.

"This is Champion Merlin's Morgana Le Fae, a 3 year old Belgian Malinois, and she is retiring from show, so you are meeting her to see if you have the right temperament for her." Andrea laughed.

"Morgana Le Fae? Are you saying I'm a witch?" Lena laughed.

"Only when you try really hard, Lena K." Andrea laughed.

Andrea spent the rest of the evening listening to code management from Lena as she looked over Kara's chess game.

Shortly after the game ended, Kara closed her tablet and stepped outside to let Ozma out one more time. She shivered in the cold and Sam removed her sweater and wrapped it around her shoulders. Kara relished the warmth from Sam's sweater, it was so strange to be able to feel what having a Kryptonian around was really like. Ozma was coming back in and Kara walked Sam to the door as her little shadow followed them.

Sam squatted down and scratched Ozma on the head, "Keep an eye on her tonight Princess Ozma." Then she stood and wrapped her arms around Kara, hugging her tight. "Night sweetheart."

"Night Sami, thanks for letting me cook." Kara smiled and hugged Sam back.

Sam headed back to her house, smiling to herself and saw Alex and Kelly coming up the road. She waited at her door, and saw them greet Kara, then headed to the backyard. Clark was there waiting to start her first lesson.

Across the street, Alex shot to the refrigerator and pulled out the leftovers. Heating them up and giving the food a quick taste as Kara headed upstairs.

"Oh my god, that is so good." Alex purred over the chicken.

Kara smiled to herself as she made her way to her room. She changed into her pajamas and curled up onto her bed, wrapping up in her blanket and Sam's sweater. Ozma was watching two figures take off into the sky, then she jumped up on the bed, curled up and started licking Kara's hand, until they both fell asleep.


	28. Revelation

"Learn to light a candle in the darkest moments of someone's life. Be the light that helps others see; it is what gives life its deepest significance."

**Roy T. Bennett, ****The Light in the Heart**

It was the fourth night of her flying lessons and Sam was exhausted. Early mornings, meetings during the day and no time with Ruby or Kara were taking their toll on the woman. 'Even a Kryptonian gets tired, right?' she thought to herself and she attempted to land again for the twenty-seventh time tonight, she was digging a trench where she had touched down so many times.

"Sorry Sam, I'm not sure how Kara lands and takes off this way," Clark tried to explain, "I can hover once I am airborne, but I haven't been able to master the way she floats for taking off and softens her landings."

"It's okay Clark, thanks for everything else," Sam responded, more than a little aggravated with herself and with her teacher. 'Maybe you just suck at teaching.' Sam thought from behind the smile on her face.

Her first night had been laughable, he had decided on high speed runs through a canyon in the mountains of Colorado. Sam had missed the first turn and now someone was going to be surprised when they discovered the twelve-foot deep cave she had created when she plowed into the damn cliff wall at Mach 2.

The next morning, a very grumpy Samantha Arias had been stuck in meetings until well after lunch. Then Lena departed early for the day and left Sam locked into engineering meetings the rest of the day and finally, she was stuck with a few contract details that had kept her busy until well into the night.

Twenty minutes before her scheduled bedtime, Ruby came bouncing into the house, "Hi, mom, are you done with work finally?"

"I just finished, did you eat at Eliza's?" Sam asked, "Sorry, honey, Lena left early today and I got stuck with the last few meetings, then had some contracts I couldn't put off 'till tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am, I ate. Eliza made roast and potatoes." Ruby stepped over and kissed her mother on the cheek, "I'm headed to bed, make sure you dress in dark clothes, Superman will be here shortly."

"What are you talking about, Rubes?" Sam couldn't even face Ruby as she asked.

"Mom," Ruby responded, "I heard you land last night, you're lucky Ozi didn't wake up you hit so hard."

"Did Kara say anything?" Sam worried.

"No, mom, she probably didn't notice." Ruby smiled, then frowned as she continued, "She is freaking out a bit about Auntie A and Kelly leaving tomorrow. However, Nia is coming before lunch tomorrow to spend the weekend, so that should make her feel a little bit better."

"Nia's coming?" Sam asked, surprised, "why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Last minute decision," Ruby answered with a smile, "I think she needs a little Kara time."

"I'm sure she needs some time with you too, Rubes," Sam smiled.

"Maybe her and Kara can give me some flying lessons since you are taking some." Ruby teased as she headed towards her room for bed.

As she heard Ruby's door close, Sam closed her eyes, rubbed the bridge of her nose and frowned, 'I could use some Kara time too, dammit.'

* * *

Meanwhile in National City

Earlier in the day, Lena and Andrea had met with the breeder and after meeting Morgana and being accepted, they took the dog home. After a quick stop at the pet store for everything Lena would need, including a collar, leash, brush, bed, bowls, food, and treats, they walked out with their hoard.

Andrea excused herself almost immediately after getting Lena home and headed back to her own condo. Lena headed upstairs and set everything up, making sure Morgana was collared and brushed. Then she headed into the kitchen to make herself dinner, a chicken salad with Kale for herself and two cups of kibble, according to the back of the bag, for Morgana. Lena stood at the bar while the dog finished her meal. Morgana finished eating and looked up at Lena as if to say, "I'm done."

Lena looked into her bowl, there was a single piece of chicken in the bottom, Andrea had told her not to, but she didn't think one piece of chicken could hurt, so she picked it up and tossed it over the bar towards Morgana. The dog caught the flying piece of meat, chewed once and swallowed, then sat, smiling at her new owner. Lena gasped at the speed, "Maybe you are part Kryptonian," she laughed. "You certainly eat like one."

Heading into the living room, she sat down on her sofa, and Morgana jumped up beside, once again staring at her. Tentatively Lena reached out and watched as the dog sniffed her hand curiously. Then Morgana looked up as if to say "you're approved." Lena reached and scratched the dog behind the ear, feeling herself relax.

"So missy, what do I call you?" Lena asked nervously as if the dog would suddenly start talking to her.

Morgana tilted her head to the left, then to the right, staring at Lena.

"You don't talk, do you?" Lena laughed

Lena continued to laugh at herself and Morgana barked her delight and walked over to the door.

"Do you need to go out?" Lena asked, rolling her eyes at herself. 'It's not like she's going to answer you, Lena,' she thought to herself. Morgana barked, and after a moment it dawned on Lena that it sounded almost as if the dog had just said yes.

"Come on girl, let's go downstairs," Lena spoke as she headed towards the elevator, the dog walking directly beside her. She finally made it down and entered the small park adjacent to her building and watched as Morgana started looking for just the right spot. Lena sat on a small bench beside an elderly woman whose poodle was also in the park.

"Is she yours?" The elderly woman asked, "She's beautiful."

"Yes, she is, isn't she?" Lena smiled.

Time passed without thought as Lena got to know her neighbor, Noel. And Lena found herself smiling at the older woman's stories and watched as Morgana played with the little poodle, Muffin. Finally, the older woman stood up and announced she was headed back to her condo. Lena copied her as she picked up behind the dogs and got rid of the little bags in their designated area. They rode up together, and the older woman got off on the tenth floor and Lena waved goodbye and promised to see her again. Then she proceeded back to her condo. She noticed her phone flashing on the end table and lifted it up, she had missed several messages from Andrea.

L: 'Sorry, forgot my phone, I took Morgana out.'

A: 'Don't forget her cookie.'

L: 'Cookie?'

Lena could hear Andrea's eyes roll, as she responded, 'Not chocolate chip, a dog treat.'

'Oh,' Lena thought, 'Thank you, Andi.'

A: 'Goodnight Lena.'

L: 'Goodnight Andi.'

After giving Morgana her treat, Lena retreated into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. When she emerged she saw Morgana had made herself quite comfortable on her bed, "That's my side, and your bed's over there, Missy." Lena said as she pointed to the dog bed on the other side of the room. Morgana looked up, snorted and moved to the other side of the bed.

"Fine, but this is just for tonight," Lena smirked as she crawled into bed. She slid on her readers and opened her book and started reading, not noticing as her hand rested on the dog's side, gently stroking her fur.

The next morning as the sun rose and a new day started, Lena Luthor woke up from the best night's sleep she'd had in a long time. No alcohol, no fear and for the first time since Kara had come back from the Fortress, no nightmares.

"I guess we will go on a night by night basis, Missy," Lena smiled as Morgana licked her hand.

* * *

Back in Midvale, Sam stepped out on her porch, taking a break from sitting in front of her computer and noticed Kara, Alex, and Kelly returning from Ozma's daily walk. She smiled as Kara looked her way and waved, wondering again how much longer she could last before she decided she couldn't hide her feelings anymore. 'Kara time' she thought with a bit of frustration, then she smiled and waved back just as Alex and Kelly noticed her and started waving. She found her attention pulled away when her hearing picked up an unusual sound and she looked down their road, spotting a rider on a motorcycle heading their way at a relatively slow speed. Focusing her hearing she concentrated on the heartbeat of the rider, 'ah, it's just…'

"Nia!" Ruby squealed as she flew out the door, giving her mother a slight heart attack as the piercing scream went straight to her brain. Sam shook her head to clear the ringing in her ears and smiled as she watched Nia park the bike and dismount.

Ruby almost tackled Nia as she engulfed the older woman in a bone-crushing hug. The smile on Nia's face was so large, Sam couldn't help but smile herself. Then she turned with a sigh to head back to work.

"You're going to take me for a ride, aren't you?" Sam overheard Ruby begging Nia.

"Only if your mom says yes." Nia smiled.

'Thank you, Nia,' Sam smiled as she headed back to her study.

Alex and Kelly were loading the last of their things into Kelly's car, not that they had brought much, to begin with, and would be returning Friday before lunch. Alex stepped over to look at Nia's new bike, painted in a very DEO looking matte black.

Kelly headed back in and found Kara sitting in the living room, playing with her hair and staring out the window. Kelly knocked on the door frame, "Kar, you okay honey?"

"Hmm, just thinking, sorry," Kara responded, her fingers twisting nervously.

Kelly moved to take a seat in the chair across from Kara, "Honey, what's wrong?"

"I'm just nervous. I know who's here and I know you will be back Friday, but still, part of me, it's like having an evil little voice inside my head that keeps telling me you aren't coming back."

Kelly reached across the table and held her hands out, which Kara grasped. "Take a deep breath honey, breath in and out. This is just a quick trip so Alex can get her paperwork out of the way and I can talk to Andrea."

"I know," Kara said between breaths. "I'm sorry, I don't want to come between you and Alex."

Alex, who was standing in the doorway, picked that moment to speak, "Kar, you are not coming between us," she paused to smile at Kelly. "If anything you are turning us into the best versions of ourselves we can be."

"She's right Kara, and we have to listen to her because of the whole older sister complex that she has going on." Kelly smiled.

Kara laughed at her sister and Kelly, then smiled as Alex sat down beside her and wrapped her arm around her shoulder, "we will be back Friday. We both love you, baby sister."

Kara allowed herself to relax as she heard the door open and Ozi bolted into the room hopping up on Kara's other side, taking her position as protector seriously.

They all smiled at the little puppy and then Kelly and Alex stood to leave.

Nia and Ruby were standing in the kitchen when the three older women stepped out of the living room. Hugs were exchanged all around and Ruby and Nia promised to watch over Kara while Kelly and Alex were gone.

"Auntie A and Auntie K, we've got this," Ruby smiled.

Alex's mouth broke into another beautiful smile and Kelly's just dropped, feeling so much warmth at being named one of Ruby's unofficial Aunts.

"We'll text you when we get back to the city, and we will text throughout the day while we are gone," Alex reassured Kara.

With a final hug to Kara, Alex and Kelly climbed into Kelly's car and with their hands in one another's, they drove back to National City.

No one noticed that Kara didn't watch as the car disappeared.

* * *

Several hours later, Kara, Nia, and Ruby were standing in the kitchen making raviolis from scratch while Kara's sauce cooked on the stovetop.

"Alex said Kara didn't know how to cook?" Nia asked, confused.

"Mom's been teaching her for like two years now. Kar is a fast learner, so she mastered the easy stuff quickly. Now she just tries new stuff from time to time." Ruby bragged in a whisper to Nia.

"So Alex doesn't know?" Nia confirmed.

"And we aren't telling her," Eliza said as she entered the kitchen still in her work clothes. "Ms. Ozma, you are missing your guard dog duties."

Ozi looked up at Eliza, then went back to guarding the pot of sauce on the stovetop.

"Well, at least you have your priorities straight," she smiled as she kissed each girl on the cheek, "Do I have time for a shower before dinner?"

"Yes, mom, no problem, it should be ready in about thirty minutes," Kara answered. Then she turned and looked at Ruby, "How come I'm not Auntie K, and when did I become Kar?"

Ruby's eyes popped open, she had whispered that to Nia, "it's because you are 'Super' special Kara."

Kara eyed her doubtfully, but smiled and turned back to her bread, "twenty-five minutes, mom."

Kara put the girls to work setting the table, then pulled down Eliza's serving dishes and got everything just right. She set candles on the table and looked at Ruby, then at the candles and raised her eyebrows.

Ruby bit her top lip and took a deep breath. She heard Kara whisper, "focus on the wicks Rubes, you can do this. I know you can."

Ruby focused on the first candle and felt the heat build-up behind her eyes and released just enough to see the wax melt on the wick and the flame erupt into being.

"Yes!" Nia and Kara exclaimed at the same time.

She followed the process three more times and lit each candle easily. "Remember that Rubes, it's all about control, not power." Then she put her arm around the younger woman's shoulder and squeezed.

Ruby looked to Nia with a tear in her eye.

"That's why she's a supergirl, she inspires everybody. I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for her." Nia smiled.

Sam walked in and saw everyone gathered around Ruby, "what's going on?"

Kara smiled and explained what Ruby had accomplished, just like a proud teacher.

After dinner, the younger girls volunteered to clean up the kitchen and the older women excused themselves out onto the porch, Sam and Kara took the swing and Eliza sat in her usual spot. Ozi waited for her mistress' permission, then bolted into the yard to run around and play.

"How are you doing baby?" Eliza asked.

"I'm doing okay, it was a little rough before they left," Kara smiled. "Having everyone around including Ozi helps."

* * *

The rest of the week passed in relative ease, Sam stayed busy with work, Kara and Nia coaching Ruby on the use of her powers and Eliza working.

* * *

National City

Alex reported for her last training class of the week, mumbling under her breath that these rookies needed a good ass-kicking before they were ready for the field. Lucy arrived to watch firearms training and was thoroughly impressed at the marksmanship she was seeing. Hand to hand went smoothly and the team assaults were right on point.

"Alex, how did you get them to this point so fast?" Lucy asked.

"I told them if they didn't impress you, they would all be fired," Alex responded with a straight face.

Across town at CatCo Kelly was meeting with Andrea.

"Andrea, I know I'm under contract for another six months, but I've been thinking about starting my own practice, and I want to know if…"

Andrea smiled knowingly, she had been incredibly lucky to snag Kelly Olson, even luckier to have her work on her VR lenses. "I accept your resignation, Kelly. I was actually surprised you accepted the position in the first place."

Kelly had been expecting a much more difficult argument, "really, you're okay with this?"

Andrea weighed her option carefully, considering what she knew about Kelly's current patient. "Kelly, look, the VR project is ahead of schedule, thanks to your work and dedication. I know you have had family issues the last few weeks, and I understand the pull of family when making a decision like this." Andrea smiled, "if possible, would you agree to work out your contract as a consultant, so if I need any assistance I could call you."

Kelly grinned, "Of course, Andrea, I would be honored."

"Thank you, Kelly." Andrea stood and shook the woman's hand. "Have you chosen a spot for your practice?"

"No, ma'am, I wanted to make sure everything was okay before I started looking," Kelly answered.

"Here's the number for my real estate agent, give him a call, he can help you find something I'm sure." Andrea wrote the number on a pad and tore it off, handing it to the young doctor.

"Thanks again, Andrea." Kelly took the number and tucked it into her purse.

"Keep in touch," Andrea called out as Kelly left, closing the door. "Make sure Supergirl gets better."

Friday, after being introduced to Morgana, who had become a regular fixture in Lena's office and being pushed off her computer so Ruby could catch up with Aunt Lena and meet the dog, Sam gave up on accomplishing anymore work, besides Alex and Kelly would be back in a few hours.

"Lena, I'll see you Monday, I'm done in for the week." Sam smiled tiredly.

"Bye, Sam, thank you," Lena said from the screen, then went back to talking to Ruby.

"Aunt Lena, I can float like Kara, it is so cool." Sam overheard Ruby tell Lena.

"Ugh!" Sam snarled as she headed across to Eliza's. 'What good does it do to ask Superman, I still can't fly, he can't teach me how to float…' she thought to herself, then smiled as Eliza opened the door.

* * *

Six hours later everyone, including Alex and Kelly were gathered on the back porch, eating pizza and potstickers and talking, laughing and carrying on.

After cleaning up, they all returned to their respective spots on the porch, Alex was explaining how soft her new students were.

They heard Ruby call them all into the yard. Kara smiled as they all looked around, she pointed to the porch roof, where Ruby was standing.

"Watch this, mom," she smiled excitedly as she stepped off the roof and floated, no change in her height as if she was still walking.

Sam was speechless, "What, how-how do you do that?"

Kara smiled shyly, as a slight blush came to her cheeks, "when I was younger I had to sneak out, and in order to not make a ton of noise, Alex helped me learn how to float. Now, when I get relaxed or really happy, it comes naturally."

"You know, Kara, you say that like I didn't know you were sneaking out," Eliza laughed.

Kara blushed and so did Alex, everyone else laughed at them.

"Now it's your turn, Sami," Kara smiled as she tugged Sam's hand and led her into the middle of the yard. Then she turned Sam away from the water and stood right in front of her.

Sam looked up at the porch and noticed everyone staring. She sighed and watched Alex and Kelly bite their lips to keep from laughing, Nia and Eliza were politely covering their mouths so their smiles wouldn't show. Ruby was now sitting cross-legged, several inches off the ground.

"Showoff," Sam huffed. 'Why is everyone staring, what is going on? Oh, Rao, she smells so good,' Sam was thinking as Kara pulled her across the yard. What she didn't realize was how big the smile was on her face as she looked back at the group on the porch. Then she heard Kara say something. "Sami," Kara said.

Sam frowned at the situation, wondering what she had missed, and Kara looked at her, "relax, Sami."

'You make that sound so much easier than it is right now,' Sam thought. "Okay."

Kara looked into Sam's eyes and once again Sam was entranced, but for some reason, right now, she didn't feel trapped, she felt comfortable, relaxed.

"Now, Sami, focus." Then Kara giggled, "think happy thoughts."

Sam smiled and opened her eyes sighing, "thanks, Tinkerbelle."

"Hush, Peter, focus," Kara giggled.

Sam smiled and closed her eyes again, taking a breath and focusing on Kara's heartbeat.

Thump, Thump.

Her breathing slowed, as her body relaxed, all the tension from the last few weeks seemed to flow out her in Kara's presence. Then she let the pleasant sound replace all the distractions around her.

Thump, Thump.

Kara let go of her hands, and she felt her own slowly lower to her sides. She never stopped her breathing, and focused harder on that hypnotic rhythm.

Thump, Thump...Thump, Thump.

Thump, Thump...Thump, Thump.

Kara watched as Sam's heels lifted slowly off the ground, followed by her toes.

Thump, Thump...Thump, Thump.

Sam was six inches off the ground when she heard Kara whisper, "open your eyes, Sami."

Slowly, Sam opened her eyes, and Kara shuddered as she saw the flashes of gold that indicated her Sami was happy and relaxed. Sam also heard Kara's heart rate speed up just a little bit, and watched a slow smile spread out on the face of her friend.

Sam looked down and gasped, "Now what?"

Ruby smiled at her mom, "This, momma." And as the words left her mouth she rocketed straight up, blowing down the grass under her.

"How?" Sam asked, astonished.

"Just like taking off," Kara whispered.

Sam smiled down at Kara once more, their eyes locking for an extra moment, then she looked up and she soundlessly took off, trying to catch up with Ruby.

Kara stood watching, as her Ruby and Sami shot towards the star-filled sky, a single tear flowing down her cheek as she missed her own ability to soar among the clouds. She saw them headed back, and wiped the tear away with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

Ruby smiled as she settled to a slow halt, floating a few inches above the ground, then landing, her feet barely rustling the grass. Sam landed a little harder, but at least she didn't slam two foot sized holes into the ground.

She stood a little taller and wrapped her arms around Kara, hugging her tightly. Then she felt Kara's arms wrap around her neck, and felt her breath in her ear as she whispered, "you did it, Sami."

Suddenly she realized how close she was standing to Kara and how much she wanted to kiss the amazing little blonde and when she looked into Kara's lovely blue eyes, she saw something, a spark, maybe? And then there was Kara's intoxicating smell, that combination of vanilla and cinnamon. Of course, Kara's thumping heart and her shuddering breathing weren't helping. 'Oh Rao, what is going on?' Sam kept thinking to herself, over and over again. Then she separated herself quickly from the hug, maybe a lot too quickly.

"Sami, is something wrong?" Kara asked, biting her lip as her breath shuddered and she swallowed a small lump in her throat. Sam watched Kara's neck as she swallowed, entranced by the sound of Kara's heartbeat, pounding in her chest. "Sami, are you okay?"

"What?" Sam answered, startled out of her thoughts, causing her to blush, "No, everything's fine, I-I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to forget how strong I am."

Taking Sam's hands in her own, Kara smiled, wondering what caused the blush, "I'm fine, Sami, no bruises or anything." Then her smile got even brighter, "You two are really good students."

Kara turned to walk back to the porch when Sam whispered, "I think it's the teacher."

No one noticed Kara's blush as she heard Sami's words. Sam, however, noticed the increase in her breathing and her heart rate, and she saw how much straighter her Kara was standing. Kara's smile grew as she walked towards the porch.

* * *

The rest of the weekend and Monday passed quickly enough, with friendly dinners, an impromptu game night and a few sessions of therapy with Kelly. Alex was her sister and her best friend, Sami was amazing, but Kelly had become a sounding board, someone who listened, no matter what she had to say. No matter the problem, Kelly never offered to solve them for her or make them go away, she just offered paths, and it was up to Kara, which one she followed.

As they returned from their regular walk, Kara reached over and tucked her arm into Kelly's elbow. "Thank you, Kelly, this has been so wonderful."

"Kar, you make this easy, you're a model patient. One day we need to sit down and you can tell me about Krypton."

Kara nodded and smiled, that book.

* * *

Then, Tuesday arrived. Lena was coming and Kara's nerves were frazzled and her emotions were on a roller coaster. Ozi was whining, pawing at everyone to check on Kara constantly.

"We know, girl," Alex said. "Mama's a wreck today."

Across the street, Sam could barely concentrate on her work as she listened to Kara's heart race. Finally, she gave up and pushed the keyboard back and decided she was done for the day. She rolled back her chair, slid her feet into her shoes and headed out the door.

Sam walked in through the front door and headed directly to the living room, where Kara was sitting, her fingers twisting in her hair. Her heartbeat was so loud in Sam's ears, it was keeping her from concentrating on anything else.

As Sam entered, Kara's eyes lit up, and she immediately stood and crossed the room and wrapped her arms around the dark-haired woman, relaxing into the heat cascading off the woman's body and trying to control her breathing.

Sam's reaction was shock and surprise, then she relaxed as the familiar smell of Kara's vanilla shampoo filled her nose, and the adorable blonde's heart rate started to slow. 'By Rao, this woman will be the death of me,' Sam thought to herself, a wry grin forming on her face as she whispered, "Hey, sweetheart. It's going to be okay, we are all here."

With her face buried in Sam's shoulder, everyone heard a muffled, "thank you." Then she heard Kara whisper, "You smell good, Sami."

Closing her eyes at the compliment, Sam felt her heart skip a beat.

Still buried in her shoulder, the blonde smiled at the sound of Sam's heart.

The moment was interrupted by the sound of Nia and Ruby hollering, "they're here!"

Kara turned away from the doorway for a moment and lifted her hands to her face. When she turned back to face her family, she was wearing her glasses for the first time in weeks and Sam's heart jumped at the sight of Kara, her breath stopped and she gaped for a moment. Kara was dressed in a baggy button-down shirt and long wrap-around skirt with her red boots hidden underneath. Gone were the bags under her eyes, and her cheeks weren't nearly as hollow as they had been when Sam had seen her almost three weeks ago. 'By Rao, woman, you are beautiful' Sam thought to herself, and her eyes must have conveyed a little of that message because her adorable blonde blushed slightly at the attention.

They all turned towards the door at the sound of Lena's car pulling into the driveway. They'd agreed the day before that Kara and Kelly, patient and doctor should greet Lena and Dr. Quinn. Kelly stepped forward and took Kara's good hand and they headed towards the front door. "You okay, Kar?" Kelly whispered.

All Kara could do was nod, too nervous to speak.

"It'll be okay, we are all right here." Kelly smiled, but even though she was trying to be calm for Kara, her own nerves were frazzled, this was new territory for all of them, and revealing Kara's identity was not on anyone's to-do list right now.

Alex looked out the window, a low growl emanating from her throat at the sight of Lena stepping out of her car. Ruby gripped her hand, and Alex allowed herself to calm down, taking a deep breath and letting Ruby's warmth comfort her.

On the front porch, Kara and Kelly stood politely, Ozi standing on the opposite side, away from Kelly.

Lena and Harley stepped out of the car, Lena looking a little nervous in her jeans and sweater, while Harley was in her usual red and black. Then, before Lena could stop her, Morgana shot out of the car and darted towards the front porch, only to be greeted by a small white puppy, growling, and standing, her hackle up, in front of her mistress.

"Morgana, sit!", Lena cried out.

Obeying instantly, Morgana sat down in front of Kara, Kelly, and Ozi. Ozi looked up at Kara as if to say, "look what I did, mama."

Kara smiled down, "good girl, Ozi. She's allowed."

Lena and Harley approached, "I'm so sorry, she is normally well behaved, I didn't expect her to…"

"Lena, enough," Kara said, a little harsher than she meant. "Sorry," Kara said as she tried to get her nerves under control. "It's okay, really." Then she smiled and the two doctors saw the dynamic that existed between the two women. These two were trying, trying very hard to repair a friendship they both believed themselves responsible for destroying.

"Dr. Quinn, I'm Kara Danvers. This is my," she paused a moment, "this is my sister's girlfriend, and my doctor, Kelly Olson."

Harley held out her hand, "Ms. Danvers, it's a pleasure, your writing is amazing, I'm a huge fan. And Dr. Olson, your works on trauma and its effects on our patients are excellent, I'm so glad you have decided to forgo the corporate world and put your gifts to work for the benefit of our patients."

Kelly was shocked and it showed on her face. "Thank you, Dr. Quinn. Your work is legendary. I've read all your articles."

Now it was Harley's turn to smile, "Thank you, and please, call me Harley. Dr. Quinn sounds like I should have my own TV show."

"I'm Kara then, not Ms. Danvers," Kara smiled, relaxing just a bit.

"And I'm just Kelly," Kelly laughed.

Kelly and Kara led the two women into the house. Lena noticed immediately how homey and relaxed Eliza's home was, but she was very wary to be so close to Alex, wherever she was. Rubbing her side where Alex had gotten those shots in a few weeks before. "How's your arm, Kara? Have you spoken to Astra?"

"My arm's better, Alex said the cast could be off by next week, and Aunt Astra is coming next weekend, Lucy has her working in Europe on something right now," Kara answered, trying to mask her nerves.

Sam, Alex, Ruby, and Nia were standing in a semi-circle when they entered the living room. Everyone greeted Dr. Quinn, Alex acting a tad bit starstruck around the good doctor. Sam and Nia greeted Lena and made a point to introduce themselves to Morgana, then Sam went and stood with Kara, putting her hand on the blonde's shoulder and whispering in her ear, earning herself a sparkling smile. Alex talked to Harley for a few moments before excusing herself to go upstairs and get Eliza. Harley noted the cold demeanor that Alex had towards Lena, no words had been exchanged between the two women.

As soon as Alex left the room, Ruby latched onto Lena and started asking about Morgana. She convinced her to head outside to the backyard and Ruby looked to Kara and then to Ozi.

"Of course, take her outside." Kara smiled, "she's as much your dog as mine."

Ruby smiled and called Ozi to follow her as she headed out the back door. Lena shrugged and called to Morgana, "Come on, Missy, you need to make a friend." Then together they made their way out the back door and into the yard.

Alex returned with a sleepy-looking Eliza in tow.

Harley did a double-take, "Dr. Eliza Danvers?"

"Guilty as charged," Eliza answered. "Student?"

"Yes, ma'am. Your lectures on brain and memory mapping were amazing," Harley gushed.

"A pleasure to meet a former student, Dr. Quinn," Eliza said as she shook the woman's hand.

"Harley, please?" Harley said, hero-worship in her eyes.

Kara and Alex looked at each other and stifled a giggle at Eliza's discomfort.

After a few more minutes of conversation, Kara gripped Sam's hand and nodded. Sam spoke up, "I think we should take this to the back porch."

Everyone made their way to the back and after Harley seated herself, Kara started her rehearsed speech. "Harley, the reason that I had Lena bring you here today," Kara stated, "I have a secret, one that I haven't shared with many people, one that Lena couldn't share with you." Then Kara turned her back on the doctor and removed her glasses, folding them and handing them to Alex. Then she looked to each person in turn, watching Lena as she played with the dogs in the yard. Sam looked over and then looked back to Kara, whose eyes met hers as she smiled, and Sam's heart melted once again at the sight of those blue eyes.

Then Kara unbuttoned her shirt and untied the front of her skirt. "You see, Harley, my secret is…"

She turned around, pulling her ponytail out, and allowing the skirt and shirt to pool behind her.

Harley's mouth was wide, her eyes shocked.

"I'm Supergirl."


	29. Burning Memories

"I could walk a mile in your shoes, but I already know they're just as uncomfortable as mine. Let's walk next to each other instead..."

― **Lynda Meyers**

"You're her, you are really her?" Harley stammered out, still in shock from the reveal.

"Harley, are you okay?" Kara asked softly.

Harley closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I'm fine, just give me a moment. Sorry, this is not what I expected."

Kara looked out over the yard, watching Ruby and the dogs, while Lena sat staring over the lake. Concentrating, she focused her hearing, listening for Lena's heartbeat. Sam recognized the look, and smirked, Kara's powers were coming back. Finally, Kara caught the sound she was looking for, Lena's heart, hammering in her chest, the sound caused her to reach for Sam's hand. She looked into Kara's eyes, seeing fresh pain behind the brilliant blue.

"She's here alone, Sami. I didn't mean for her to be by herself, outnumbered," Kara gasped.

"She made her choices!" Alex sneered as she walked down the stairs and headed to the front of the house, her tennis shoes slapping the grass as she stomped out of everyone's sight. Kara watched sadly as she stomped off, and was about to follow her sister when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Kelly stopped Kara and shook her head, then she looked at Harley, "I'm sorry, this whole situation has been very difficult on her, she's-her anger is justified, and she isn't very good at hiding it." Then she smiled at Kara and rushed down the stairs, chasing her girlfriend.

"Sami?" Kara, still frowning, turned to face Harley, "can we take the dogs for a walk, maybe ask Lena if she…"

Harley smiled as her eyes met Supergirl's, and she nodded her head, agreeing with the idea and watching Supergirl release a breath.

"You might want to change, sweetheart." Sam whispered into her ear, "and don't forget a sweater."

Kara hugged Sam tightly, kissing her on the cheek, "Thank you, Sami." Then she headed into the house and walked up the stairs to her room.

Sam leaned on the porch railing and watched Kara all the way to the top of the stairs. She heard Harley snicker and turned her brown eyes to the doctor.

"That girl is something special, Samantha." Harley stated, "does she know how she feels about you?"

Running her fingers through her brown hair, Sam smiled, "No-maybe-I don't know. She has been through so much, I don't want to rush." She stopped as she heard Ruby laugh at the dogs, looking over her shoulder. "She has bounced back so much since she came home, she's amazing." Then she pushed herself off the railing, glancing at Eliza, who had been very silent through all of this.

Eliza smiled at the dark-haired woman in front of her. "She has always been able to do that, it's her real superpower."

Harley and Sam both stopped, looking at Eliza with curious expressions on their faces.

"She isn't just her powers. Kara is a symbol, a symbol of hope. Sometimes she just needs to be reminded that she isn't all alone in this." Eliza looked at Sam and continued, "Over two years Sam, you think she kept you a secret from us for all this time because you are just a friend. That girl upstairs, she isn't as oblivious as everyone thinks. You mean something to her Sam, the nickname, the cooking, running to you when she needed someone...she may embody hope, but you Sam, you embody something to her as well."

"But Lena?" Sam questioned. Looking to Harley, a small frown on her face.

Eliza glanced at Harley, almost as if she was daring her to stop the conversation, "Lena Luthor is...special to Kara. Kara feels as if for some reason she has to protect her, to keep her safe. Maybe it was love, maybe it was friendship, maybe, just maybe Sam, it was Kara's empathy, her ability to instill hope in someone who didn't have any."

"Lena has always been a lost soul, trying to prove herself. Kara saw something in her, something special that everyone else missed." Sam spoke quietly, once again looking out into the yard. "She latched onto Lena's darkness, her fear of falling like the rest of her family, and she rescued her. Kara gave Lena a piece of herself, a piece of that light that makes Kara who she is."

She hadn't heard Eliza get up from her chair, but she felt the woman's embrace and she smiled as she melted into Eliza's arms. "Maybe you need to explain it to Alex just like that Sam."

"Here she comes," Sam whispered as she and Eliza broke apart.

Kara came through the backdoor, wearing jeans and the same button-down from her reveal, and Sam's brain short-circuited for just a moment as Kara smiled and pulled her hair up in a ponytail. She was about to slide her glasses on, when Sam reached forward and shook her head, "Sweetheart, you don't need those."

Kara smiled, then folded her glasses and set them on the table. Then she slid on her sweater. "Ready, Sami?"

Kara and Sam made their way down to the table by the water where Lena was seated. The black-haired genius was so lost in her thoughts she never noticed their approach until Kara spoke.

"Lena?" Kara asked gently.

Lena jumped in her seat, her heart racing so fast that Kara had to grip Sam's hand tightly to control her rising panic. "Oh god, Kara, I'm sorry."

Through gritted teeth, Kara harshly responded, "Not you, hearing is back, take a breath and relax, please."

"Oh, sorry," Lena said as she took a deep breath, then another trying to get her heart under control.

Kara rolled her eyes at Lena's apology and Sam snickered at the image. "What's so funny?" She asked.

"Your eyeroll needs work." Sam giggled, "and the pout isn't going to fix that." Then she felt herself blush as Kara's heart started to beat a little faster and her eyes sparkled.

Lena felt a small smile on her lips as she watched the interaction, then it disappeared as Kara turned towards her and asked, "would you and Morgana care to join us on a walk with Ozi?"

Lena looked shocked, "are you sure?"

"Yes, maybe we can talk?" Kara asked.

"Just us? And the dogs?" Lena verified.

"You, me, Sami, and the dogs. We could take Ruby? If you want." Kara smiled warmly.

Lena nodded, afraid to speak.

"Ruby," Sam called out softly, "Let's go for a walk."

Ruby walked up with the dogs following her. "Usual route, Kara?"

Lena was surprised 'when had that happened?' she thought to herself.

The group headed out, Alex watching from around the corner of the house as they disappeared into the woods. "Alex, honey, she has Sam with her," Kelly spoke softly, gently tugging Alex's face towards hers. She saw the pain in Alex's eyes and spoke again, "nothing is going to happen to her, Sam and Ruby won't let anything harm her. You know that, right?"

Alex nodded, closing her eyes to mask the pain that was so obvious. "I can't do it, no matter how hard I try, I can't see past Kara in that cage."

Pulling her girlfriend into a hug, "Hey, it's okay. Nobody, not even Kara, no one is asking you to forgive her." Feeling Alex tense under her touch, she almost released her, then she felt Alex relax, resting her head on top of her own.

"She was so scared, she was so alone." Alex sniffled, "I've never seen her eyes not shine. It's like she-her spirit had been snuffed out, Kels."

Kelly didn't say a word, this had been building for weeks. She maintained her silence, merely squeezing a little tighter.

"I would have killed her if Kara hadn't stopped me, one bullet, that's all it would have taken." Alex whispered, "and I wanted to, I wanted her dead. I wanted the light from her eyes extinguished just like she had done to…"

Alex slid down to her knees, feeling like the weight of the world was resting on her shoulders. "Go ahead honey, get it out, I'm here," Kelly said quietly, tears forming in her own eyes.

"In the hallway, that day I attacked her, she-she stopped fighting back." Then Alex admitted the truth, "I couldn't do it, Kels, I couldn't protect Kara by hurting Lena. I had to trust her, I had to let her fix my little sister because I couldn't."

The tears started, and Alex didn't try to stop them or wipe them away, she just slid next to Kelly, their backs against the cold brick foundation of the house and cried, letting her anger and grief at what had happened puddle in the mud between her knees.

Eliza peeked around the corner, checking on her oldest daughter, listening to her tears. A few slid down her cheeks as well, hearing the pain that Alex was bearing. She slid her head back just in time.

After what seemed like an eternity, Alex stopped crying, and leaned her head on Kelly's shoulder, "The worst part of all this, is that even knowing she helped Kara, I still hate her, Kels. I hate that woman…"

Eliza winced at those words. She had put a lot of pressure on Alex to make sure that Kara was protected and now she was paying a high price for that request.

Kelly kissed the red hair resting on her shoulder and shook in silent anger at how she felt at this particular moment. She leaned her head against Alex's and felt for her hand. As their fingers intertwined, she felt the shaking start again as Alex released more tears and hopefully, more of her anger.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the woods by Eliza's…

The four had been walking for about fifteen minutes when they came to the bench by the lake. Kara looked at Sam and smiled, silently asking for a few minutes.

Sam nodded, then smiled as Kara whispered, "not too far, please."

Taking Lena's elbow in her hand, Kara led her towards the bench her mom and Alex had built so many years ago and sat down, patting the seat beside her. Lena sat nervously beside her, her frazzled nerves obvious to anyone who knew her, and the woman beside her probably knew her better than anyone else in the world.

"Kara?" Lena asked, her voice shaking.

"Lena," Kara paused, reaching for her glasses. She shook her fist as she realized they weren't there, "Lena, I'm sorry."

Lena looked confused, her eyes locking on Kara's.

Kara sighed deeply, "I'm sorry for everything. I should have told you sooner. I should have had the same faith in our friendship that you did. I'm sorry I listened to other people. I'm sorry I was Supergirl to everyone else but failed at being your friend and Supergirl at the same time. I hate this feeling of helplessness. You didn't deserve this Lena, none of it." Kara stared out at the lake, taking a calming breath.

"Kara?" Lena asked again.

"Lena, I was a coward, I…" Kara squeezed her eyes closed, feeling a familiar heat building up behind her eyes. She took a deep breath, concentrating, causing the heat to dissipate. When she opened them, Lena noticed the flash of orange. "Sorry, where was I?"

"Something about Supergirl being a coward, then your eyes flashed orange." Lena tried to smile.

"What I'm trying to say, Lena is that I'm to blame for what hap-" she was cut off by Lena's glare.

"No, Kara, enough of you taking the blame for this. I made my own choices, my own decisions." Lena frowned, looking Kara straight in the eyes, "I chose not to tell you I knew, I chose to cling to betrayal. I decided that years of friendship and caring were nothing compared to how angry I could justify myself feeling because you didn't tell me your secret." She rolled her eyes and continued, "Alex was right, it was your secret, you are allowed to share it with who you want. I shouldn't have done what I did to you, Kara."

It was Kara's turn to be speechless, "Lena?"

"Kara, let's just agree that we both could have done things differently. I think we are past apologies. Deal?"

"There's one more thing Lena, I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye before I left last week." Kara smiled.

"Can we start over?" Lena asked, a small smile forming on her lips.

Kara stood, her hand outstretched, "we can't start over Lena, but we can work on rebuilding our friendship. My name is Kara Danvers, Kara Zor-El and I'm Supergirl."

"Hello, Ms. Danvers, I'm Lena Luthor, it's a pleasure."

The two women shook hands as Sam looked on smiling. They didn't hug or embrace in any way, but their friendship was on it's way to being mended. She walked up to the two women, "You two feel better now?"

Both nodded, and Lena spoke up, "I think she has something to show you."

Sam turned toward Kara and saw a tiny bit of orange flash in her eyes. Kara's grin said it all, her powers were coming back, ahead of schedule. She was bouncing on her heels as she called Ruby over.

"Rubes, remember what I taught you the other night," Kara smiled.

"You mean my heat vision?" Ruby asked.

"Pick a target." Kara laughed. Before she could turn her head, Ruby had four leaves lined up. "Alright, Kara, each one, light the tip on fire."

Kara took a deep breath, she hadn't used any of her powers in almost two months, and her vision had always been the most erratic, the hardest to control.

"Should she be doing this, Sam?" Lena asked, slightly panicked.

"Lena, she needs this. Just like she needed to talk to you." Sam answered, never taking her eyes off Kara.

Kara closed her eyes, concentrating, feeling the heat behind her eyes, she focused on the tip of the first leaf and tried to control the lasers shooting from her eyes, watching dejectedly as the first leaf burst into flames. "Dammit," she whispered under her breath.

Ruby stepped beside her, "Remember, Kara, focus, and control. It's not about power, it's all about control."

Smiling, Kara reached down and squeezed Ruby's fingers, closing her eyes and once again feeling the pleasant feeling of her powers behind her eyelids. Opening her eyes, they flashed a brilliant orange and she was rewarded as the tip of the leaf burst into a small flame.

"Yes!" Ruby exclaimed as she watched the leaf turn to ash slowly as the flame spread.

Kara moved slightly, lining up the last two leaves, concentrating the laser across both tips, smiling as a flame caught on the tip of each.

She and Ruby high fived and Lena walked over and congratulated her. As Sam walked up, Kara threw herself into the other woman's arms. "By Rao, that felt good, Sami."

Sam was so overwhelmed by the hug, she simply slid her eyes closed and breathed in the familiar scent of vanilla and cinnamon that always seemed to follow the wonderful blonde in her arms. 'Just kiss her already,' she thought to herself.

"We have to get you practicing next, Sami," Kara beamed, snuggling as close as possible.

"Are you cold?" Sam asked, suddenly worried.

"Not anymore." Resting her whole body against Sam's, "you're warm."

Sam looked to the heavens, releasing a breath, and smiling, the look was as blinding as the sun shining through the trees. "Let's head back, it's getting late and I'm sure Harley would like to get a little bit of her session in."

"Ozi, c'mon girl, let's head home," Kara called. The little puppy was at her side in an instant. Then she grasped Sam's hand and they started walking home.

Behind them, Ruby looked at them, shrugged her shoulders, and whispered, "Yeah, we are coming too." Two distinct voices reached her ears, letting her know that she had been heard.

Morgana raced ahead to catch up with Ozi, as Ruby grabbed Lena by the hand and they started following the blond and brunette in front of them.

* * *

The small group and two dogs arrived back at the house about twenty minutes later. Kara noticed Kelly and Alex down at the lake and squeezed Sam's hand, nodding her head towards them. Sam looked and nodded back, releasing Kara's hand. She, Ruby, and Lena, along with Morgana headed to the house.

Reaching the table, Kara caught Kelly's eyes, asking a silent question, not wanting to interrupt her, and Alex. Kelly answered with a bright smile, nodding her head and kissing Alex on the cheek, whispering in her ear. Ozi wondered under the table, laying her head on her paws, and closing her eyes.

Alex turned to Kara and smiled, "Hey sis, sor…oomph!" She started, then felt Kara's arms wrap around her, pulling her up into a hug.

"Alex, please stop apologizing for how you feel about her," Kara spoke softly, avoiding using Lena's name. "I'm not asking you to forgive her, but stop beating yourself up over it. I'm not going to stop being your sister or love you any less because of your feelings over this whole-ordeal."

"Thank you, Kar," Alex said, squeezing her sister back. Then she looked Kara in the eyes and noticed a slight flash. "Kara?"

"It's coming back, my vision, it's coming back, Alex." Kara's grin was infectious and both Alex and Kelly started to smile.

"Ahead of schedule, guess bringing you home was the best thing we could have ever done for you." Alex laughed. "Have you tested it?"

"On leaves, I didn't want to overdo it," Kara admitted.

"Remember when we were grounded for flying? Do you remember what you did to Jeremiah's golf balls?" Alex smirked.

Kara grinned, "Got any?"

"Hold on." Alex ran towards the shed behind the house.

Kelly stood confused, "What the hell is she talking about?"

Kara blushed, "The first time Eliza and Jeremiah caught us flying, they kind of-grounded us. So to get even, Alex snuck down into the shed and stole his golf balls, and I kind of melted them all."

"You? You melted?" Kelly grinned, biting her lips, trying not to laugh. "You were being a brat because you were literally grounded."

"Well, wait, it was Alex's idea." Kara pouted, then snorted through her nose, "it is funny though, isn't it?" Ozi stuck her head out from under the table, looked up at her mistress, and decided everything was okay and crawled back under the table.

Alex returned a few moments later and stopped, confused as Kara and Kelly stood in front of her giggling like a couple of school girls. They finally stopped when Alex asked, "Are you two done?"

Both women stood up straight, biting their lips, trying to resist laughing more. Alex lifted her eyebrow at the two of them. Kelly broke first as Kara snorted through her nose once more, and all three women surrendered to a fit of giggles.

Sam heard the laughter from the house and stepped out on the porch, looking down at the three women laughing and smiling with each other. She turned to head back in when she heard a giggling whisper, "You-you cou-could come down and haha, join us, haha."

Her hand almost reached the doorknob as she felt a blush rise to her cheeks. Then she turned and calmly made her way down to the three. "What is so funny?"

Alex straightened first, "just an old memory." Then she pointed at Kara, "one of the few times, Supergirl here got grounded."

Kelly snorted, "Literally, she got grounded for flying." Then she sat down and started laughing again.

Kara tried to look innocent, which caused Sam to snicker. "Not you too, Sami."

Sam tried really hard not to, but then Kara pouted and Sam couldn't contain it any longer, laughing uncontrollably while Alex took one look at her sister and lost it completely.

Ruby followed the sound of laughter and found the four women sitting at the table, laughing and giggling amongst themselves as Ozi sat staring at them. "Are all of you okay?" she asked.

Her mom recovered first, "Yes baby, I think we all needed this."

Alex snorted, "Oh god, that felt so good."

Kelly leaned her head on Alex's shoulder, "Feel better, honey?" She got a hearty head shake from her redhead.

"We were recalling my early days before I turned to the light side of the force," Kara stated earnestly, as her puppy hopped up beside her, and Kara started stroking her white fur absentmindedly.

Alex took a deep breath, then blew it out, "are you ready to try this?"

Kara nodded enthusiastically. Then she looked at Sam and Ruby.

"Where were Harley and Lena?" Alex asked.

"They were in the front room, talking to grand-Eliza," Ruby answered.

Kara clapped her hands together, "Family practice."

Ruby and Sam looked perplexed as Kara turned to look at them. "Practice for what?"

"Control, and for you two, a little flight," Kara answered.

"Okay," Sam said, completely confused.

"Alex is going to throw golf balls out over the lake, each one of us has to attempt to hit the target with our heat vision. If we miss, one of you two has to retrieve it before it hits the lake, and bring it back to shore," Kara explained.

"I haven't used my heat vision," Sam admitted.

"Guess you will be chasing more golf balls than me, mom." Ruby smiled.

"Okay, Alex, whenever you are ready, Sam's have to be high arcs, okay?" Kara hugged her sister.

"No problem, Kar," Alex smiled from inside the hug.

"Ruby, if I miss you have to retrieve okay?" Kara requested, then she squatted down, "Miss Ozi, go sit with Aunt Kelly, okay?"

"C'mere, girl," Kelly patted her legs, and Ozi trotted over and settled in her lap.

"Sami, I need you to concentrate for a second okay, think about the heat, picture it building behind your eyes," Kara whispered.

Sam closed her eyes, and Kara smiled as Ruby did the same thing.

"Can you feel it? It is kind of like the sun shining through your eyelids." Kara said quietly.

Sam and Ruby both nodded. Ruby felt a calmness fall over her as she slowly let the power rise, then she pulled it back so that it was just buzzing in the back of her head.

Sam was having more trouble. The heat was powerful and frightening and she felt the urge to just release it. "Kara," Sam's panicked voice whispered.

Kara didn't hesitate, she stepped behind Sam, and put her hands on the brown-haired woman's shoulders. "Sami," she whispered, "it's okay. I know it's scary, but we are all right here with you. This is you, it's not Reign, it's okay, I promise."

Sam's erratic breathing started to calm down. Her pounding heart started to slow down. She took a deep breath, her body shaking as she drew it in.

Kara slid her hands down, grasping Sam's, "Open your eyes, release a quick burst, then pull back okay, it's not easy, but I'm right here, and I promise, I'm not going anywhere."

Sam's shuddered at those words, a slight smile finding itself on her face. Slowly, she opened her eyes, releasing a quick, one-second burst of blue light. Then she relaxed, feeling the power die behind her eyes.

"Good job, momma," Ruby smiled.

Sam turned to face Kara, a look of calm on her face, "thank you, Kara."

Kara saw the flash of blue in Sam's brown eyes, then the gold flecks that seemed to shine whenever she was happy. Kara smiled as she shivered, her eyes moving to Sam's lips, then shaking her head slightly, she looked back into Sam's eyes, "any-anytime, Sami."

Alex looked at Ruby, at Kelly, then all three women rolled their eyes. Ozi even added a little bark to the whole scene.

"Okay, Kar, you first!" Alex called.

"Ready," Kara responded.

Alex let loose the golf ball, it rose in a fast arc, and just as it started to descend, Kara released a quick burst of her heat vision, the ball disintegrated in mid-air.

Both Ruby and Sam stood open-mouthed as the ashes of the golf ball floated down onto the calm surface of the lake.

"Wow!" Ruby exclaimed, "You rock, Kara."

Kara grinned, "your turn, Rubes."

Ruby turned serious and watched Alex's hand as she threw the ball. Her eyes followed the ball, and she released her heat vision just as the ball began to fall towards the water. She missed and watched as the ball began to plummet. Then she heard Kara shout, "Now!" At the command she shot towards the ball, catching it just before it plunged into the lake. She returned to shore seconds later, holding the white target in her hand. She politely handed it Alex, who looked at her and smiled.

"You'll get it next time Rubes, Kara's had a lot more practice, and she still misses," Alex laughed.

"Hey!" Kara cried, "I don't miss that often."

"Uh-Huh." Alex nodded, smirking in Ruby's direction.

Ruby looked at her Auntie A and got a wink. 'Uh oh,' she thought.

"Sam, your turn," Alex said. "Let me know when you are ready."

Sam concentrated, feeling the heat rise and nodded. The ball left Alex's hand in a high arc over the lake. Sam watched, waiting. Just as the white object started to fall, she let loose a short burst and watched as the blue beam shot into the sky and struck her target, reducing it to ash.

"That's my-good job, Sami," Kara blushed as she smiled at Sam.

Sam beamed at the praise. Then she blew out a breath and relaxed, 'this could be fun.'

Alex coughed, "Kara," she almost sang. "Your turn." Then she turned towards the lake and released three golf balls into the air.

Kara watched, then gasped at Alex's trick. Focusing, she took out the first before it started its downward spiral. She second-guessed herself and misjudged the shot on the next one. The third target was destroyed forty feet over the water. Ruby raced out and caught the second one before it struck the lake. She flew to shore and landed behind Alex, smiling at Kara, "Guess Auntie A got you on that one."

"By the end of the session, young lady, you will chase two," Kara glared.

Alex snorted, then stopped as Ruby whispered into her ear, "I could dunk you in the lake, Auntie A."

"You wouldn't dare?" Alex questioned.

"Wouldn't I?" Ruby smiled, looking frighteningly like a very young Kara Danvers.

Kelly burst out laughing at the look on Alex's face. "Sorry, honey. God, I wish I had my phone, that picture right there would be my background."

"Hey, you are supposed to love me?" Alex questioned.

"Very much. I love you very much, but I'm not getting between you and my adopted niece, not when the prize is you in a wet t-shirt."

"Ewwww!" Ruby grimaced, covering her ears.

As all the adults laughed at Ruby's discomfort, Alex leaned in and kissed Kelly. "I love you too," she whispered softly.

Taking Alex's face in both hands, Kelly made sure that Alex knew exactly how much love there was behind her words from seconds before.

Kara grasped Sam's fingers as she watched her sister and Kelly, a feeling of happiness coming over her. "I want that," she whispered out loud.

Sam's breath caught in her throat at those words, glancing down at the long fingers enveloping hers. 'Maybe someday, Kara Zor-El,' she thought.

Alex stood up from kissing Kelly, looking a little dazed, "Your turn, Rubes."

* * *

Harley pulled the letters Lena had written during her homework assignment, and Eliza stood, excusing herself from the living room, closing the doors behind her. Lena sat down in one of the chairs, looking very uncomfortable. Harley scanned the letters, setting down the ones addressed to Sam and Eliza. Then she slowly read the one to Alex first then the one addressed to Kara.

* * *

A Letter to Alex

Alexandra,

I know you will never forgive me for what I did to Kara, and I don't blame you. If I was in your place and snuffed out the sun, I wouldn't be able to forgive either. It was never my intention to hurt her like I did, and I will regret it for the rest of my life. We were never friends but at least when we worked together, we were a good team and I will miss that about us. Please, don't ever stop protecting her, Alex, she is such a gentle soul, one of the few I have ever had the privilege to know and love. Never forget who she is either, not like you could, not like I did, she needs to always be Kara, you and Sam, Eliza and Kelly and Ruby, all of you together, you need to help her find her sunshine again, Alex, please.

Sorry, I had to pause for a moment, Dr. Quinzel said this would happen. She said this therapy is like spilling your emotions onto the paper, I guess she is right because my tears certainly won't stop. She also said that I needed to be better about letting those emotions show. I want you to know, Alex, that in my way, I did care about you, and I do love Kara. And before you freak out, I don't think I deserve her, not her love, but if possible, and perhaps with your blessings, maybe one day, I hope she and I could be friends again. I know you don't want to hear that right now, but I have to be honest, with you and myself. I fucked up, I know that now, and I will never forget the fear in her eyes when she looked at me. I did that, I snuffed out the sun.

I'm so sorry, Alexandra.

All my regret,

Lena Luthor

* * *

Eliza's Living Room

After reading the letter she handed it to Lena. Who looked at the words on the paper, her nerves raw and frazzled as she read what she had written.

"Alex dislikes you a great deal, Lena?" Harley questioned.

Lena nodded, "It was almost always like that. We were like oil and water. Plus my brother and Superman." Lena rested her elbow on the armrest and swept her well-manicured fingers through her black mane, taking a deep breath. "She was right, I became just like him. Her reasons for Kara not telling me, I lived up to all of them."

"She was right, and she was wrong, Lena," Harley stated. "I'm not defending whatever it was that you did to Kara, but you reacted as you have been raised. Someone threatened the cocoon you wrap your emotions in, and you defend yourself." Harley steepled her fingers and rested her chin, "This armor that you wear, the name of your family, it doesn't define you, Lena. You define yourself. You were mentally abused, and this has shaped your outlook on life and it's become your retreat."

Lena sat listening, enraptured by Harley's word.

"How did you treat Alex?" Harley asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," Lena answered, confused.

"Alex is important to Kara, correct?" Harley questioned.

"Probably the most important person in her life," Lena answered.

"While you were on your walk, Eliza and I had an interesting conversation." Harley smiled, "do you know why Kara became Supergirl?"

Lena shook her head, "She saved that plane in National City, all those lives."

"No, Kara saved that plane, not for all those people, she did it for a very selfish reason," Harley stated plainly.

Lena looked confused, then, like the sun rising over the ocean, a thought came to her and her eyes widened, "Oh, my God, Alex was on that plane. Kara stopped that crash because she would have lost her sister."

"They are sisters as deeply as any two people who are not related by blood can be, Lena," Harley explained. "Alex is protective of Kara and Supergirl because they are two parts of who her sister is. She takes responsibility for Kara's choice, and you are probably not the only person she has ever stopped Kara from telling."

Lena sat with her mouth open, shock and pain evident in her eyes, "I treated her like the help like she was below me and Supergirl. I never realized."

"This is an assumption on my part Lena, but it seems that your relationship with Kara also caused distance between them. As the two of you grew closer, Alex and Kara started to spend less time together. You threatened her feeling of self-worth, her family," Harley said, putting emphasis on the last word.

"If I had known," Lena cried.

Harley interjected, "you have no idea how you would have reacted, Lena. It's the past, and you cannot look at the past clearly through glasses that have seen the present."

Lena choked on her next words, "I owe her such an apology."

"I would advise against that, Lena, at least until Alex is done with her period of mourning," Harley instructed.

"Will she ever forgive me?" Lena asked.

Harley answered, "perhaps with time, and support from her family, yes. Alexandra is a strong, stubborn, and protective woman. She is also intelligent and she must have seen something in you. So, it is my professional opinion that she will eventually forgive you."

Lena leaned back, secretly hoping that the day would come soon. After everything that had gone on, she truly regretted the pain she had caused the redhead.

Lena sat back, thinking about what Harley had said, and her earlier encounter with Kara, while Harley read the letter she had written Kara.

* * *

A Letter to Kara

Kara,

This is the hardest thing I have ever done, other than turning my back on you at the Fortress. What I have done to you, my Sunshine, is horrible, and I know you are scared and feel helpless and I am so sorry, Kara. I forgot who you are, that you are not Supergirl, you are Kara, and I should have remembered that I always thought you were too perfect to be human, but you ended up being more human than me.

You have to get better darling, you just have to, the world needs Kara as she was, please never forget that, yes you have all those powers, but underneath all of that you represent hope in a way that no other heroes can.

I know you remember that first day you came to visit, with your cousin, you know you took my breath away, not because you are beautiful, but because you listened to me, you took me seriously, even if no one else did. You believed in me and you gave me the hope to believe in myself. You chipped away at my armor and once you were in, you were all in, you gave me love and comfort, you taught me how to love, even if I never said it, I love you. I don't deserve you, Kara, and I know you will argue, but you need someone who can accept you as Kara and Supergirl. Whoever it is, they have to make sure they only ever see, Kara. Supergirl is an idea, she is a symbol for the whole world, that they are protected and cared for, but Kara, you are more than that, you are friendship and game night, you are a person that would welcome a little girl from a horrible home into your family, and accept her without ever once trying to change her.

I hope as you move forward in your life, you can remember how good we were to one another, I hope that my bad judgment, my mistakes will not ruin our chance of maybe one day restoring at least our friendship. As much as I regret losing your love, I will miss your friendship, even more, you were good for me, more than you know.

I have a little secret for you, although Sam may have spilled it by now. The house across the road from your mom now belongs to Sam and Ruby. You are probably screaming with joy right now, so calm down a bit. Sam has also been given a job that will allow her to work from home, once again, calm down, you need Ruby and Sam in your life, and they need you, especially Ruby, she needs you to teach her and nurture her. Sam needs you as well, let her lean on you, your experience, your abilities, she needs to learn to control them, and she needs the same choice you had, whether to become a superhero or not.

This letter was supposed to be about letting go of raw emotion, so I could start healing, but I keep seeing that fear in your eyes, Kara, when you saw me at the fortress, and that image will haunt me forever. I am so sorry that I did that to you because no matter what, I never meant to hurt you like that, ever.

Sorry, I had to take a break, Dr. Quinzel said to let my tears flow onto the paper, so you would know I speak from the heart. But you know that, anyway, don't you? You always did. No matter what I said or did, you always knew my heart.

I understand a little better why you didn't tell me, what you, Sam, and Alex all said makes more sense now, why you were so scared that you would lose me. Instead of losing me, I drove you away. You didn't deserve that, and I don't deserve you, Kara. I still wish to be part of your life, maybe someday, we could try to be friends again.

Kara, I missed the signs of how you felt about me, Alex told me the day that I freed you from the fortress that you loved me. It frightened me, because deep down, I know I love you as well. I'm not sure if you need to hear this from me, or if I need to say it for myself, but I do love you, Kara, but our relationship would never be the same for us at this point, it really would not be good for either one of us. I think that is why I was so sure you would betray me; I knew how I felt without really knowing, and to defend myself from it, from you, I retreated into my normal boxes and pushed you away.

It has been amazing getting to know you these past four years, and I know everyone is always saying they wouldn't change a thing, but they are always so wrong, I would try to change a little for you, to let you in, and to say those three little words that scared me so much. I will always have a place in my heart for you, my dearest friend, even if I failed you in the end, but please, Kara, try to remember the good, don't forget the bad, but always keep in mind how good we were together.

I'm sure by now you are crying, Alex probably hates me even more, but lean on your family and get well, my darling Kara.

With love always,

Lena.

* * *

Harley read the letter twice and went to hand it to Lena. Shaking her head, Lena pulled a worn copy of the letter from her purse, where it was tucked in her wallet folded neatly around a picture of her and Kara. Lena smiled weakly, "I wrote it and couldn't stand to not have a copy, to remind me…" She thought there would be tears, that she would scream, but after her conversation earlier with Kara, she felt better about their relationship. Things would never be the same, but they would be friends again.

"Why do you carry that, Lena?" Harley questioned.

"It reminds me of what I did, how badly my anger and feelings of betrayal could hurt someone I claim to care about." Then Lena paused, and whispered, "and to remind myself how it feels to lose something I love."

"And after your conversation with her today?" Harley quizzed.

"Kara and I will be friends again. We have both tried to take responsibility for our actions. We decided that we were both to blame," Lena looked over at Harley.

Harley smiled, it seemed that Kara Danvers would have made a hell of a psychologist, and Supergirl was everything the world thought she was. Paragon of Hope, Harley scribbled on her notes.

"Kara makes sure I am protected, taken care of, and most of all, safe." Lena smiled to herself, "Even after everything I did to her, she never lost faith in me."

"How does that make you feel, Lena?" Harley asked.

"Worthy," was the only word that came out of Lena's mouth.

"Are you in love with Kara Danvers?" Harley asked directly.

"I think I am." Lena looked at the floor as she answered, "I think I always will be, a little bit. Kara and I, we can't-our future is a friendship. I know how abusive relationships work, Kara is still scared of me, of what I did. I can't imagine a relationship where if I lose my temper my partner retreats, runs because she is scared."

Harley looked at Lena, sadness in her eyes, "Lena, it kills me to ask this, but what happened, why did Supergirl have to step away?"

Lena spent twenty-five minutes recalling the events of the last four months and another twenty bringing Harley up to speed on what she had done. Throughout that time, Harley interrupted a few times to make sure she understood certain points, but for the most part, she was quiet, nodding, and taking notes.

"All of that led us to where we are right now," Lena finished.

Harley sat in silence for a few moments, then she let out a long breath and looked at her patient, "where do you stand now, Lena?"

"I'd like to say everything is fine, that I am ready to move on from this, but I know better," Lena frowned. "Recovering from everything the Luthors did to me, how Lex manipulated me, my view of Kara's betrayal and trapping and abandoning her. This will take years for all of us to work out."

"Are you ready to move forward, Lena, really ready?" Harley's tone turned serious.

"Yes, yes, I am. I'm tired of living like this, Harley." Lena smiled a little.

"Then the hard work begins." Harley smiled brightly, "We will get you there, Lena."

"Woof," Morgana seemed to agree, as she curled up on the chair next to her mistress, causing Lena to smile and she bent awkwardly to hug the dog.

* * *

Out by the lake…

"Okay, Rubes, last two." Kara smiled.

Ruby frowned, this was the third time she was going to try to shoot down two of the golf balls at the same time. Kara walked up to her, taking her hands, "You can do this, Ruby, I promise, you can do this. Focus"

The teenage Kryptonian closed her eyes feeling the power grow behind her eyes, then she pulled back, opening her eyes. Instead of flashing orange, Ruby's eyes glowed a bright blue like her mom's. "Ready, Auntie A," she smiled.

Alex turned and threw the two white golf balls up and over the lake.

Ruby watched them and time seemed to slow down. Kelly stood up to watch the small white targets, Alex held her breath while Sam and Kara's hands found each other, gripping tight.

The first ball started to drop and this time Ruby ignored it, catching the second one just before it started down. The ball disintegrated as it was struck by the blue beam. Then she focused on the downward motion of her other target and fired ahead of it about twelve inches, holding her own breath as the beam struck the white orb and it burst into flames. The ashes settled onto the surface of the lake as the adults hooped and cheered.

Everyone was spinning and hugging Ruby, and then the whole world seemed to quiet around her as Kara pulled her into a hug, "Great job, Rubes. I knew you could do it."

"Thank you, Kara." Ruby sniffled into her shoulder. "Thanks for teaching me, thanks for being here. I love you so much."

Kara felt tears fall down her face at Ruby's admission, "I love you too, Ruby. I couldn't love you more if you were my own."

The two continued to embrace as everyone headed into the house, Ozi leading the way.

Once in the house, Eliza announced that tonight would be a simple dinner of soup and sandwiches.

Harley and Lena came out of the Living Room and heard the announcement.

"We'll pass, Eliza," Lena answered, "We'll grab something on the road."

"Are you sure?" Eliza asked.

"Yes, Dr. Danvers." Harley answered, as she moved forward to shake hands, "we both have jobs to do tomorrow." Then Harley moved throughout the room saying goodbye to everyone.

Kara caught Harley in a hug, "take care of her, please."

"I will, Kara, she has a ways to go, as do you. Thank you for talking to her today, and putting another fear to rest." Harley looked Kara directly in the eyes, "make sure you get well too."

Kara blushed and hugged the doctor one more time, "I will."

Alex walked up to Lena and held out her hand, "Get well, Ms. Luthor."

Lena stood, shocked, "Th-Thank you."

"You saved her," Alex whispered, looking over her shoulder at Kara. "I can't say thank you enough for that." Then she was gone.

Kara smiled at the conversation and pulled Sam towards the door. While Ozi said goodbye to Morgana, Kara did the same with Lena.

"I'll email you later this week so we can play again." Kara smiled.

"Thank you, Kara, for everything today." Lena was tense.

"Lena, I'm glad I could help, it's what friends do." Kara's smile got wider.

"Oh, that reminds me, I'll send the contract via email to Sam, your code got through to both app stores, so you can start selling," Lena spoke in her business tone.

"Oh, wow, really." Kara stuttered.

"Yes, now we have to hit the road." Lena smiled.

Sam hugged Lena again, and just as she was about to step off the porch, Kara grasped her hands, "Goodbye, Lena. Safe travels." Then they shook and released each other's hands.

Lena stepped off the porch and loaded Morgana into the car, she started the engine and started to drive away, as they reached the end of the road, Harley heard Lena talking.

"Thank you, Supergirl."


	30. Redeemed?

**No human being is so bad as to be beyond redemption.**

**Mahatma Gandhi**

Kara, Kelly, and Eliza, with Ozi looking on, were in the backyard exercising. Kelly was leading them through some basic yoga poses. Kara was learning that working on her book and daily talks with Kelly, Alex, and Sam were helping with the mental aspects of what had happened. However, the physical toll was harder to adjust to, so she was working out and practicing yoga. With the increase of physical activity, natural light, and her appetite returning, her stitches were out and her broken bones were healed, weeks ahead of schedule.

Alex came downstairs and stood looking out over the lake and the three most important women in her life and smiled. Everything was getting better, slowly, but it was getting there. Her schedule at the DEO was not as demanding, which she thought to herself 'is kind of nice.' Things with Kelly were growing and they were considering a place together, but first Kelly had to find a location for her practice in National City, and she had several places to look at over the weekend. While lost in her thoughts, she heard the backdoor open up as Sam and Ruby came out on the porch, dressed to travel.

"Hey, Auntie A, not down there stretching and bending?" Ruby asked with a quick smile.

"No, I'll take a hard pass on the weekends, I beat my body up pretty badly at work, and weekends are a good time for relaxing. Although this weekend, I'm taking her to the beach," Alex smiled. "How's training going?"

"Oh, my god, Kara is such a great teacher, I can control my vision, although seeing through things is kind of weird. She said my hearing will improve with practice, and it's so cool because I can actually recognize people by their heartbeats." She paused, took a breath, and continued, "flying is so much fun, but I can't figure out how she sleep floats and strength is really cool unless I forget like mom did, you should see the hammer she bent."

"Thanks, Rubes, nothing like telling the world." Sam laughed, "yes, I bent a hammer, Kara-nevermind." She blushed.

Alex looked at Sam, "Kara what?"

"She came over and scared me, I didn't know she could move that quietly and I was concentrating on what I was doing." Sam was suddenly very interested in the woodgrain of the porch.

"The fact that Kara was in her jeans and that button-down from last weekend is beside the point, right Mom?" Ruby smiled widely.

"Shush, she might hear you," Sam hissed, smiling at her daughter.

"No she won't, this takes a lot of concentration for her right now, she isn't used to dealing with gravity or the chance of injuries. She has to relearn how to use multiple powers at once," Alex said, looking out at the group in the yard.

"Is that why she keeps insisting we focus on our hearing when we are doing other things?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, when you fly to Metropolis, use your hearing and your vision as you go, you'll be amazed at how much it helps you navigate," Alex suggested, "By the way, what's up with the visit's from Superman?"

Glaring at her child, who looked as shocked as she did, "How did you find out?"

"It wasn't Ruby." Alex smiled at her 'niece', "I work for the DEO. Kara helped us design devices specifically for tracking her and her cousin. Lucy told me that he has been caught flying in and out of Midvale all week."

Sam blushed again, "nothing to hide, I just wanted to take her flying, and he is the only person I know other than Kara, and well, to be honest." She paused and looked at the blonde, "He really sucks as a teacher."

Alex and Ruby both burst into laughter, which caught the attention of the three women and Ozi, who looked to Kara. The blonde nodded and Ozi shot towards Ruby, her tail wagging as she plopped down in front of the teenager, waiting for her treat and a back rub.

The three women made their way to the porch, Kelly kissed Alex, tasting the coffee on her lips, while Eliza hugged Ruby. Kara made her way immediately to Sam, wrapping her arms around her neck.

"When are you leaving?" The blonde asked.

"We are flying out in a few minutes." Sam breathed deeply, taking in Kara's scent, and calming her heart at being the person Kara came to first. "We will be back Tuesday after the movers leave, okay?"

Kara's head bobbed as she snuggled closer. She heard Kara's heart start to calm and sighed as Kara released her. Ruby jumped in between them and wrapped her own arms around Kara, "I'll text you all through the weekend, okay?"

"I will look forward to it." Kara smiled, her head rested on Ruby's.

Sam hugged Eliza, and whispered, "If you need me, call, okay."

Eliza nodded, "thank you, Sam."

Alex and Kelly got their hugs, then watched as Sam and Ruby launched themselves into the sky headed towards Metropolis.

Kelly and Alex headed upstairs to finish getting Kelly's things together for her weekend in Metropolis, while Eliza and Kara made a simple breakfast of fruit and toast.

Thirty minutes later the two women came downstairs looking absolutely perfect together. Kelly was dressed casually, but Kara noticed that Alex was in her leathers.

"Are you going back?" Kara asked, a slight tremor to her voice.

"No, I'm not, well I'm not going to National City." Alex smiled at her sister, "We are headed to the beach for a few days."

Kara perked up instantly, "On your bike?"

"Yep, just you and me. We need some Danvers downtime." Alex smiled at Kara's exuberance.

"Really, no missions, no Supergirl!" Kara's face fell as she said it, but she took a breath and worked through it in her head, 'Supergirl will be back' she thought, then the smile was back.

Kelly watched closely, looking for Kara's tells. She watched for the crinkle, the fingers twisting. None of it came, Kara was getting better, stronger, and working through her fears. She couldn't resist, and stepped over to hug the blonde, whispering, "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, Kels, for everything, but mostly for taking care of Alex," Kara had meant to whisper, but instead said it out loud. She looked over at her sister, and saw the smile, Alex's smile, the one that had saved her and supported her so many times.

"You're welcome, Kara," Kelly responded as she reached over and held hands with Alex, whose smile was so large, Kelly almost forgot what led them all to this moment.

"Go upstairs and get ready, I'm going to walk Kelly out," Alex said in her very best big sister voice.

"C'mon, Ozi, help momma pick out something for the beach," Kara said as she headed up to her room.

Alex and Kelly made their way to Kelly's car, and stood beside the door talking and holding each other for a few minutes. "Alex, remember, watch for her tells if she starts to get nervous, or…" Alex interrupted with a kiss, passionately locking lips with Kelly. Alex smiled as her girlfriend sighed and wrapped her arms around the back of her neck, drawing them closer together. The kiss went on, neither woman wanting it to end.

Upstairs in her room, Kara was pulling on a pair of jeans and peeked out the window, watching the two women. She touched her own lips for a moment, but the lips she pictured touching hers were not painted red, and the hair, the hair was a soft brown, not raven black. Sighing, she stepped back and grabbed a few long sleeve shirts, some jeans, and a pair of tennis shoes for the beach, sliding them into the duffle she kept under the bed. Then she reached for her sweater, planning to wear it over her tee-shirt when Sam's Central City University sweatshirt fell onto her bed. 'Whoops!" Kara thought as she slid it over her head relishing the clean smell of strawberries and cream, 'I'll give it back on Monday." Finally she added a pair of motorcycle boots that Alex had bought her years before. 'Ready to go," she thought with a grin.

Making her way downstairs with Ozi by her side, Kara reached the last step as Alex re-entered the kitchen. "You'll need a jacket, Sis, it's going to be cold on the back of the bike."

"Um, Alex, I don't really have a heavy jacket, I don't normally wear one," Kara said, her crinkle showing.

"Look in the closet, baby, you might find a surprise," Eliza grinned.

Kara rounded the corner to the hallway, opened the closet door, and there it was, her own leather jacket, just like the one Alex wore. Kara pulled it out of the closet, holding it to her chest, hugging it close. "Mom? Alex? This-this is for me?"

Alex and Eliza stepped forward, wrapping their arms around the adoptive heart of their family, and hugged her tightly. Kara could feel the tears forming in the back of her eyes, but she'd cried so much over the last few months, she refused to let the tears fall, but that didn't stop her throat from closing up as she tried to croak out a quiet, "thank you."

"Hey, hey Kar, you okay," Alex asked a tremor of worry in her voice.

Kara lifted her blue, tear-filled eyes, but all Alex could see was the gorgeous, goofy grin on her sister's face. "Thank you, thank you so much," she sniffled through unshed tears.

"Well, try it on," encouraged Eliza.

Alex helped Kara slide into the jacket, which fit perfectly, even over the bulky sweatshirt she was wearing. "This looks great, Kar," Alex smiled. 'Sam's going to go nuts when she sees this,' Alex thought to herself with a wry grin on her face.

Zipping the jacket up and buckling up the bottom clasp, even Alex had to admit, her sister looked pretty good in leather, 'yep, Sam's going to implode.'

"Looks fantastic, baby," Eliza smiled as Kara twirled around just a bit.

"You think Sam might like it?" Kara asked shyly.

Alex choked on her response as Eliza smiled, "I'm sure she will."

"Are you okay watching Ozi?" Kara asked, smiling at the last comment.

"Yes, Alex has had this planned all week, you are staying at the same house we stayed at when we went down to the beach after graduation." Eliza said, crouching down to pet Ozi, "just me and my grand-puppy this weekend."

"Thanks, Mom!" Exclaimed both girls as they started hugging again.

The four of them headed out to Alex's Harley, and as Alex packed their gear in her saddlebags, Kara knelt down to talk to Ozi, "be good for grandma, girl."

Ozi bounced around, barking and carrying on, and Eliza came over and picked up the dog, giving her a treat from her pocket.

Alex was about to climb on the bike, when Eliza set Ozi down, "wait a minute you two, let me get a picture."

At first the girls figured they would just pose for the picture, but then Ozi decided she needed to get involved, so Kara picked her up, and with Ozi in the middle, and the bike behind them, Eliza snapped a picture, capturing the moment perfectly. As the image was saved on her phone, she sent out a text, attaching the picture to everyone in Kara's extended family.

Ozi ran over to Eliza as the girls mounted the bike and drove off down the road. As they stopped at the stop sign at the end of the road, Kara whispered, "thank you." Then they took off.

* * *

National City, L Corp

Astra landed on the balcony of Lena's office and tapped on the glass door.

Looking up at the familiar sound, Lena smiled, a bit sadly, and stood up from her desk. Her heart thundered so loudly, she was sure Sam, Ruby, and Kara could probably hear it in Midvale. Taking a deep breath and smoothing out her skirt, she approached the door, forgetting that she had started leaving the door unlocked once again.

"Hello, Astra, back from Tokyo?" Lena asked, trying to get her heart under control.

"Hello, Lena," Astra responded. "I arrived at the DEO two hours ago, I had to debrief, that's the word Director Lane used."

"You didn't go to Midvale to see Kara?", Lena was curious.

"She and Alexandra are having a sister's holiday, I am going to see her on Monday." Astra smiled, "My Little One needs some time with her sister. Kara is also the head of our family here on Earth, and she asked me to keep you protected, Lena, therefore I am taking care of my responsibilities."

"You all take that vow very seriously don't you?" Lena smirked.

"Lena Luthor, you are under the protection of the head of the House of El, this is not a joking matter among Kryptonians. We do not take vows of protection lightly, Kara's vow means her life is forfeit under Kryptonian law, were you to be killed or commit a crime while under her protection." Astra said solemnly, "This is very important to her, and to any who belong to her house."

"Kara did what?" Lena asked, shocked, "She has no right to do that! She shouldn't have put herself at risk because of me."

"That is not your decision any longer, Lena Luthor!" Astra snapped.

"I mean no disrespect, Astra." Lena whispered, "Why? Why would she do that for me?"

"Lena, your friendship is very important to Kara, but you must understand, Alura, she is the governor of Argo City, she is the highest-ranking member of the Judicial Tribunal, the ruling council of Krypton." Astra explained, "my Little One could be compared to a princess on your planet. In a way you assaulted a member of our ruling family. By placing you under her protection, she saved your life."

"Oh!" Lena gasped, shock evident in her eyes.

"This is why protecting you is so important." Astra spoke quietly, softening the blow, "it's also because I have come to enjoy your company, Lena Luthor. You took care of her, you made her well."

"Oh, it was-I needed to-it was my turn to protect her." Lena turned away, "We both finally took responsibilities for our actions."

"You are still under her protection Lena, that is not going to go away because she took responsibility for what happened," once again Astra explained.

"So how long will this protection last?" Lena asked.

"For so long as Kara Zor-El draws breath or releases you from her protection." Astra answered, then her communicator went off and Lucy's voice sounded in her ear."

"Astra, there are three Lex-bots attacking an alien shelter on the northside of National City. Dreamer is there, but she is outnumbered on this one, can you assist?" Lucy asked calmly. "I know you just got back, but we need your help again."

"Of course, Director Lane, send me the coordinates." Astra smiled, "I'm currently at L Corp."

"Ms. Luthor may have some insight for you then," Lucy said sarcastically. "They are her designs."

Astra's eyes flickered for a moment, orange then blue as she looked at Lena, she asked calmly, "Any information on Lex-bots would be helpful, there are three about four kilometers from here."

Lena looked shocked as she answered, "Kryptonite core, learning robots, will not fall for the same attack twice. Kryptonite levels should be well below your levels of invulnerability."

Clicking an unseen button on her collar, Astra's head was covered by a helmet, the white strip showing through the top, and a mask covered her eyes, hiding their color behind white shields. She rushed through the door to the balcony, and launched into the sky, verifying the coordinates and taking a vertical route up, then arcing over the city, landing in front of a kryptonite beam that was about to strike Dreamer.

"Nice to see you, Solaria," Nia smirked.

Growling at the name the press had given her, Astra responded, "you too, Dreamer." Then she grunted as a kryptonite blast hit her right in the center of her chest and was dispersed.

Nia watched and smiled, "guess LL was right about your immunity."

"We will find out, can you handle the one of the left and I will take care of the other two?" Astra asked.

"I can do that," Nia said confidently, as a whip of blue energy formed in her right hand.

Astra floated several feet off the ground, moving to the right, causing all three robots to target and follow her movements, reassessing the situation, since their primary weapons were ineffective against this new threat. As the third robot turned, Nia's power whip slashed through the air, wrapping around her target, as it tightened, she pulled with her enhanced strength which along with her energy powers, ripped the robot into several pieces.

Identifying Nia as a threat, the middle robot turned its kryptonite cannon towards the blue and white-clad heroine. Astra picked that moment to attack, crushing the one that was targeting Nia and snatching the last and blasting straight up, into the sky. Astra's speed continued to increase until she reached a height several miles above the city, then she stopped suddenly and threw the robot even higher, targeting with her heat vision. The blue light struck the energy core and the metal creature burst into a fireball that could be seen as far as Midvale.

Landing slowly, she checked on Nia once again. After verifying that the young heroine was okay, she picked up the two energy cores. Handing one too Dreamer, "Take this to the DEO, we need a way to track these before it becomes a regular occurrence."

"What about that one?" Dreamer asked.

"I'm taking this one to L Corp. Lena created these monstrosities. It's time for her to live up to her potential, and put a stop to them." Astra continued, "Lena has much to atone for, destroying these-things, can be part of her repentance."

"Astra, you cannot take one of those core's to L Corp." Lucy's voice came over their coms.

"I can and will, Director Lane, Lena Luthor needs a chance to redeem herself, in her eyes and in the eyes of my niece," Astra spoke with authority.

"Astra, I don't trust her," Lucy said through gritted teeth.

"I am aware of that, Director Lane, but Kara does, and if she does, I will stand by my decision," Astra responded. "It is the right thing to do Director."

"I can't stop you, Astra, but I don't agree with you," Lucy snarled.

"I understand, and I take full responsibility for my actions," Astra smiled, knowing she had won this battle.

"Very well, Solaria." Lucy snapped, "Lane, out."

* * *

Metropolis, Several Hours Later

Sam and Ruby touched down in the alley directly behind their condo. They both fixed their hair and headed around to the front of the building. Then they headed up to the condo for the last weekend.

Ruby unlocked the door, and as she entered, her mind turned back to one of Kara's visits.

* * *

"_Mom! I'm…Aunt Kara?" Ruby shouted, "I didn't know you were coming. Does mom know you are here?"_

_Kara turned from the stove, where she was making homemade pizza and smiled. "Hey, Ruby. No, your mom doesn't know, today's her birthday, so I flew in to make dinner, then if it's okay, I will stay the night."  
_

"_On a weeknight?" Ruby gasped._

_"I can get to work on time if I pour on the speed on the way." Kara winked. "By the way, I got that thing you wanted for your mom, it's wrapped on your bed."  
_

"_How?" Ruby was surprised._

"_I'm Supergirl, and my favorite 14-year old asked." Kara smiled and Ruby washed her hands and together they made Sam's birthday dinner._

_About an hour and a half later, Sam came in to find the table set and her favorite pizza and cake on the table. _

"_About time you got home," Ruby deadpanned, as she came out of her room holding a beautifully wrapped present._

"_You made pizza and cake in the few hours since you got home from your friend's house?" Sam asked, confused._

_"That would be me," Kara said from the doorway of Sam's bedroom.  
_

_"Kara? Did you come? For my birthday?" Sam grinned.  
_

"_Of course," the blonde responded, as she handed Sam a second present. "Happy Birthday, Sami."_

_The two women hugged, holding on to each other for a few seconds longer than normal. Then they all sat down and ate pizza and cake. As they finished dinner, it was time for presents._

"_Mine first!" Kara winked at Ruby._

_Sam carefully opened the present, inside was a picture, one of her, Ruby and Kara, taken six months before, during one of Kara's weekend visits, they had visited Memorial Park, and they were hugging each other close, with Ruby in the middle, smiling and having the perfect day.  
_

_Smiling at the memory, Sam looked up to Kara, noticing, not for the first time how lovely her eyes were. "Thank you, Kara."_

_Kara bent and kissed Sam on the cheek, "Happy birthday, Sami."_

"_My turn, momma." Ruby smiled, tears already forming in her eyes._

"_Ruby?" Sam asked worriedly._

"_Open it quick," Ruby smiled._

_Sam tore open the paper, and there, staring at her was the only picture she knew of that existed of her, Ruby, and her adoptive mom, Patricia. She set the picture on the table, covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes started to water. Ruby walked up to her mom, tears freely running down her cheeks as she hugged Sam,, "Auntie Kara got it for us, momma."_

_Sam looked up to see Kara, moving away from them headed towards the balcony. She quickly reached out wrapping Kara's fingers in her hand, pulling her closer, stopping her from leaving. Ruby noticed as well, reaching for and grabbing Kara's wrist. They both continued to pull, until she was engulfed in a hug._

The pictures were hung side by side on the wall in the living room, right where they had left them. Ruby looked up at them and smiled.

Sam walked in the door as her phone buzzed. She opened the alert and smiled at the picture, admiring the brilliant blue orbs that inhabited her dreams every night. She took a deep breath and smelled that wonderful mix of vanilla and cinnamon that always seemed to follow Kara everywhere.

Then her memories were everywhere at once.

* * *

_There on the couch, Kara showed Ruby the stars that led to Krypton._

_In the kitchen, chopping vegetables, the first time she had shown Kara how to make chicken soup._

_Ruby's artwork on the fridge._

_Kara and Ruby watch Disney movies, while she sat at the table working._

_Kara on the balcony, recovering from one Alien fight or another._

_Ruby and Kara holding her hands when Reign haunted her dreams._

_Kara's cape, wrapped around her shoulders as she fell asleep in the recliner._

_Ruby, sitting on the couch with a cold, while Kara sat beside her, so Sam could video conference with Lena._

_Kara._

_Ruby._

_Peace._

_Hope._

_Family._

_Love._

* * *

Shaking her head, Sam looked at Ruby, "I think it's a pizza and potsticker kind of night."

"I miss her too, momma," Ruby smiled sadly.

* * *

Huntington Beach, Several Hours Later

Alex's Harley rumbled down the main street as she and Kara headed towards the Beach house Alex had rented for the weekend. They pulled under the house, grabbed their bags, and headed in. As they entered the living areas, they realized nothing had really changed, the view was still gorgeous, and this time of the year the beach wasn't that crowded. Setting their bags on the couch they stepped out on the front deck.

"By Rao, this is so beautiful," Kara whispered.

Alex looked out over the water, noticing a few surfers out on the water. Then she stepped closer to Kara and leaned her head on her sister's shoulder. "How about tomorrow, you try surfing."

"You need something to laugh about, Alex?" Kara grinned.

"I think it would be fun, Kar." Alex grinned back, "I haven't been on a board in years, not since before Jeremiah."

"Alex, you don't talk about him much, not anymore?" Kara grimaced, knowing she was touching an exposed nerve.

Alex turned her back to Kara, "He betrayed us, Kara, almost to the end." Then she turned back towards her sister, "he was willing to hurt you, even though he-he helped me at the end, I can't forgive him any more than I can forgive her."

"Alex, he was your father." Kara swallowed.

"And you're my sister, the little alien girl who came to live with us. For so long, Kara, for too long, I hated you living with us, I hated it. Then I realized, you stopped being you, you started to hide who you really were. You have powers, but you hid them to protect me and mom, your whole family. You did that even though I hated you," Alex admitted, tears forming in her eyes. "You made a decision to hide who you were because you cared about us."

"Alex? Of course I care. You and mom, Sam and Ruby, Kelly, all of our friends and family, I would do anything to protect you and them. I would give up being Supergirl forever if it would keep you all safe." Kara stated, meaning every word.

Alex pulled Kara towards her, holding her shoulders, "That's why I decided to stop hating you and to protect you, Kara, because I know you would do the same for me. That day, the day at the beach when I saw what you could really do, even though it scared you, that's the day you stopped being the weird little alien girl and became my baby sister."

Kara lifted her hands to Alex's cheeks and wiped away the tears, "thank you, Alex. Thank you for being the person I could always count on, the person…"

"I wasn't, Kara, I wasn't always there. I yelled at you when you came out with your powers. I doubted you over Mon-El, I never trusted your opinion of Le-her, and when you needed me the most, I didn't even remember who you were." Alex lowered herself to the deck, landing on her knees. "And when you came home, I couldn't save you, I had to count on someone else."

"Alex, you couldn't have known, you have to let this go, please," Kara's tears started and she sank down on her knees in front of her sister. "I don't care if you hate Jeremiah or Lena, but please, stop hating yourself."

"You almost died, again Kara, and I couldn't protect you." Alex cried, her head resting on her sister's shoulder.

"I'm here now, I'm not going anywhere, you brought me back Alex, you always do. The Black Mercy, Snowbird, and blood poisoning, you are always there, you have brought me back every time." Kara sniffled, getting her tears under control. "Now let me be here for you. I love you, Alex, let me be here for you like you always are for me."

Through her tears Alex nodded and felt lifted to her feet. Kara led her to the couch and sat down beside her, holding her hand while Alex leaned her head against her, tears staining her face. After a few minutes, Kara started to sing, the same Kryptonian lullaby that Alex and Astra had sung while she was healing. As she felt Alex's breathing even out, she let herself relax, wrapping her arm over Alex's shoulder and dozing off herself.

* * *

Midvale, Later that Afternoon

Eliza was following Ozi through the woods when she came across the bench that she and Alex had built. She rubbed her hand over the rough wood, looking out over the lake. "I miss you sometimes, Jeremiah, but more than that, I hate what you put our girls through," she whispered. "How could you do that to them?"

She looked over the lake for a few more minutes, then sat down, "They were so determined when they found out you were still alive. They wanted you to be proud of them, and you betrayed them, tried to use Kara against Alex. You…" the tears started, as Eliza reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a set of gold bands.

Holding them in her hand, she wiped away the tears and stood up, "She won't even come here anymore because of you, because of what you did. Her favorite spot, the one place we knew we could always find her, and she won't come back. Because of you!"

Eliza cocked her arm back and threw both rings towards the middle of the lake, watching two separate splashes. Turning on her heel and wiping her face, she looked at Ozi, who was looking at her with her head cocked. "I feel better now, Ozi. Are you ready to head back?"

The little dog barked and started to trot back towards the house, leading Eliza home.

* * *

National City, Lena's Office

Astra landed on Lena's balcony so hard it caused the glass to rattle. This time she didn't bother to knock, she just entered the office. She was met by Morgana, who growled at her.

"Morgana, down!" Lena said, her heart beating hard from Astra's landing. "Is something wrong?"

"The power core in those robots was not created to incapacitate a Kryptonian, it was built to kill," Astra snarled.

Lena immediately realized the issue, "I only designed the robots, Astra. I didn't design the power core."

"What would have happened to my Little One if she had been attacked by one of these things?" Astra snapped.

Swallowing hard, "Severe injury or death."

"And you designed them?" Astra questioned again.

"Yes, but I didn't create them to kill Kryptonians, I created a synthetic form of kryptonite," she swallowed hard, then continued. "Lillian and Lex used the robot designs, then figured out a way to modify their power core so it would operate using the kryptonite radiation."

"You need to determine how to track and deactivate these- things," Astra commanded.

"Astra, I'm sorry. I designed these robots long before I met Kara. The original design was supposed to be for military use." Lena stopped talking for a moment, her brain was racing over the designs.

"Lena?" Astra questioned.

Lena walked to her desk, picking up her cellphone, she checked her contacts, and there was Lucy's number. "I don't know why I have this, but here goes…" She tapped the green icon to dial Director Lucy Lane.

"What do you want, Lena?" Lucy's angry voice asked, barely disguising her dislike.

"Is Brainy trying to track the Lex-bots?" Lena asked, ignoring Lucy's tone.

"What business is that of yours?" Lucy growled.

"I'm texting you a very specific frequency. The robots were designed for military usage, and if they followed the design, the tracking chips should still be in place," Lena said as she sent the text.

"Goodbye, Ms. Luthor," Lucy said as she disconnected the call.

Staring at the phone, Lena frowned. "Astra, I didn't build those robots, I never wanted Kara dead, I swear."

"I am not going to apologize for my anger, Lena, it is my niece's life and the life of every person who goes up against one of these creations. I will however thank you for helping the DEO," Astra nodded.

Astra had just been introduced to Morgana, who had been out on a walk earlier that day when her coms went off.

"Solaria? We have a location. Coordinates are being loaded to your guidance system now. Teams Alpha and Gamma will meet you there. Lane out," Lucy's voice announced.

"I have to go, Lena," Astra stood and headed towards the balcony, "Thank you."

"Be careful, Astra," Lena said as the woman took off. Her phone vibrated in her hand and she turned it over, 'Thank you, Ms. Luthor' she read, from Lucy's number.

* * *

Huntington Beach, The Living Room

Alex opened her eyes slowly, blinking away sleep. Sometime during their nap she had ended up with her head in Kara's lap and a light quilt wrapped around her. She smiled as she sat up, looking around for her phone. She lifted it, checking the time, 'two hours, we slept for almost two hours,' she thought to herself, noticing the flashing notification for a text message. Calling up her messages, she saw a new one from Ruby. 'We made it to Metropolis fine, will text later if okay. Love ya, Ruby.'

Alex texted back, 'sorry, fell asleep, you can text anytime kiddo, love you too, be good for your mom.'

Setting her phone down, she started to tickle her sister. She watched as a small smile formed on Kara's face, then she started to twitch, and finally started giggling and laughing. "Al-Al-Alex, stop tic-tic-tickling me!" Kara stuttered out, laughing harder.

"Thank you, Kara, thanks for pulling me out of the funk I've been in." Alex laughed as she pulled her fingers back.

Grabbing at Alex's hand, Kara pulled her into a hug, "Alex, you are my sister, I will be here for you whenever you need me, I promise."

"Thank you, Kar," Alex whispered. "Want to go for a walk?"

"That would be great, Alex, let me put on my tennis shoes." Kara smiled.

"I need a few minutes to change out of my leathers," Alex said as she grabbed her bag and headed to the front bedroom.

A few minutes later, the two women were walking down the beach headed towards the pier. "Can we stop for burgers, Alex? I'm starving," Kara asked.

"You always think with your stomach, Kar," Alex laughed.

Seated in the diner, both women glanced at the menu, Alex ordered a chicken sandwich with fries and water, while Kara ordered two burgers, fries, and a large chocolate shake. As they waited for their order, Alex swallowed a few times, trying to start the conversation.

"Just speak, Alex. We are sisters, you can talk to me about anything," Kara said, rolling her eyes.

Alex laughed, "Who taught you that? That looks like a Ruby move."

Kara stuck her tongue out as the waitress arrived with their drinks. As the waitress walked away, "So, what's going on?"

"How do you feel?" Alex asked, "How do you really feel?"

"You mean about all this, my powers or Lena?" Kara asked.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Alex responded, "All of it."

"I miss my powers, I know they are coming back, but I don't understand why it's taking so long. There is nothing like being able to fly, and I know it makes me sound like a wimp, but pain stinks." Kara smiled.

"Let me explain it as she did," Alex started to explain.

"You know, Alex, she isn't Voldemort, she isn't going to magically appear if you say her name three times." Kara smiled.

"That's Beetlejuice, not Voldemort." Alex smiled back, "Now what sh-Lena said, was the blood poisoning attacked you on a cellular level, affecting their ability to absorb and process sunlight."

"So my cells have to repair themselves, instead of just taking in the sunlight and giving me my powers, they have to be fixed first. This is like flaring by a factor of one-hundred," Kara stared at the light, pondering something. "So, what would happen if..."

"What, Kara?" Alex asked, looking at her sister.

"What if we overloaded my system with solar radiation?" Kara pondered.

"Theoretically that could work, but based on your current condition, it could cause more problems, or mutations. There is also the kryptonite cure that she gave you. Astra is the only other subject. Ruby and Sam are immune because of Sam's genetic differences," Alex explained.

"Do you really think I'm immune now?" Kara asked, "I mean I looked at the formula, and it should work, but how do we test it?"

"I was thinking about that. We could use the old DEO headquarters sparring room, it's still set up with kryptonite emitters, so we could even control the dosage," Alex smiled, as Kara nodded her agreement.

"After I get better?" Kara smiled.

"I'll get the key from Lucy," Alex grinned back.

The waitress approached with their food, and Alex laughed as Kara almost inhaled the first burger. "Slow down, sis, I know some of your powers are coming back, but wow."

"Sorry, I didn't eat before we left, and all that exercise works up my appetite," Kara said between bites.

"So, what about this mess?" Alex asked, steering the conversation back to where they had started.

"Lena and I agreed, Alex, it was a combination of both of us," Kara started, "and to answer your question, no what she did to me, locking me up there. I didn't deserve that Alex, no matter how betrayed she felt, that's not what friends do."

"Do you still love her, Kara?" Alex asked, staring straight into her sister's eyes.

"I'll always love her, Alex, I can't pretend there weren't feelings there. Things weren't right between us after Lex. I lied to her, I hid who I am, I betrayed her trust."

"It's your secret, Kar," Alex interrupted.

"I know that Alex, but if I have to be totally honest with myself and with you, telling her didn't make me feel any better. I lost something between the two of us when I told her. I'm not sure how to say it, she-she didn't see me as Kara anymore." Kara's eyes watered, but she refused to cry, she started to speak again as Alex reached across the table and held her hand, "all the fear I had of telling her, it came true. You know she didn't call me Kara until we-I was recovering?"

Alex shook her head, she hadn't been privy to those conversations, Kara's relationships with all her friends had suffered over the last few months, and she had closed herself off over Lena. "I didn't know that Kara, I'm sorry. I'm sorry she did that to you."

Gripping her sister's hand harder, Kara spoke again, a slight crack in her voice, "I should have seen it coming, but I was blind to her faults. I still want to be friends with her, I still love her, but it's not the same feeling."

Kara looked down at her plate, picking at the last bite of her hamburger, she pushed it to the side, "I just want what you and Kelly have."

Looking up from her plate, Alex's eyes opened wide, "What do you mean?"

"She really cares for you, and you feel the same way. It's not like the movies, your heart doesn't race when she's around, it slows down." Kara lifted her eyes to look at her sister, "She grounds you, she is good for you."

"You really mean that?" Alex asked.

Kara nodded and reached into her pocket for her card. "Kara, I got this," Alex said as she tried to stop her.

"Nope, I kind of have some money coming in now." She blushed, "I got my advance from the publisher, and Lena, is marketing my chess game."

"What? You didn't tell me," Alex gasped.

"You were in National City all week, and I just signed the contract yesterday, and I didn't expect you till today. So now I'm telling you." Kara smiled.

"So my sister is a writer and a game developer," the pride evident in her voice.

Kara blushed as the waitress walked off with the check.

* * *

Somewhere in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Base BX2187

Astra arrived ahead of the two assault teams and flew over the area immediately surrounding the base. "Director Lane, I recommend changing the assault teams, there is a clearing large enough for their aircraft approximately 500 meters from the back entrance."

"Surveillance?" Lucy asked.

"Five cameras, all currently inactive," Astra reported.

"Krypton Assault, change location to landing zone two, Solaria will cover," Lucy commanded. "Solaria, can you see inside the base?" Lucy questioned.

"Negative, the base has lead inside the walls!" Astra spat out.

"Damn!" Lucy swore, "I know you have Lena in your ear as well, anything we should know Solaria?"

"Director, I understand are disappointed with my decision, but bringing an unauthorized person on a covert mission is not something I would do," Astra responded, "Lucy, I understand your anger, but Lena did what I asked."

"Sorry, Astra. I can't seem to get past Kara," Lucy tried to explain.

"I will keep that in mind from now on, Lucy, but my niece still has trust in her, so as her protector I must uphold that trust." Astra smiled.

"Okay, I will hold that under consideration, but no classified information," Lucy smiled.

"Of course, Director," Astra answered, as she set down in the clearing ahead of the assault aircraft. Dreamer landed directly behind her, having patrolled the other side of the mountain base.

Minutes later, the assault aircraft set down, and thirty-six DEO specialists filed out of the modified VC-22, laying down a perimeter so that their commanders could confer with Solaria and Dreamer.

"Solaria?" The Alpha Team questioned.

"The base is secured and lead-lined, Dreamer and I can fly, and my strength would allow for a surprise breach through the rear entrance. Send half of your men through two minutes after we begin the assault. Follow that up two minutes later with the second half," Astra explained. "We don't know what the inside looks like, and I would like to avoid unnecessary injuries or deaths, commander."

"Yes, ma'am, I will send my two heavy gunners in the second assault element, that way the third team will be slightly larger and can clear any side rooms that get missed," the senior team commander added. "Our weapons have been modified to fire stunning energy bursts, and can be switched to explosive rounds when we find the robot storage area."

"Very well, commander, if you approve this plan, we will begin the assault on my mark," Astra ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," the commander almost saluted.

Solaria nodded to Nia, who smiled a wicked little smile and moved forward quietly with her new teammate.

Scanning the door with her powers, Nia identified a weak spot in the steel door and marks it with a floating blue X.

"Solaria to all units, check-in now," Astra whispered into her coms. She was rewarded with two clicks from all the troops. At the final click, Astra whispered, "Mark." then connected her fist to the floating blue X in front of her, and was rewarded as the door shattered.

Two men were guarding the entrance and went down hard as the door exploded inward towards them. Checking their vitals with her hearing, she nodded to Nia, indicating they were alive. Nia nodded back, and the two women moved forward. Dreamer reached out with her power, barely visible streams of energy flowing down the hallway, as she searched for any source of life. Each time she identified a target, Astra burst through, taking the men down. The first assault group moved in at the two-minute mark and made their way down the hallway, securing the unconscious men and continuing forward. They reached Solaria and Dreamer at a crossroads, one path forward, one left and one right. Astra paused, waiting for the third element to reach them. Six minutes later the group was redirected, one group left one right, and Nia and Astra heading forward with a group of four. The two assault units met minimal resistance, but Solaria's group found the hanger and looked down on several hundred Lex-bots.

"Oh, shit," one of the machine gunners whispered under his breath.

"Indeed," Astra smirked. She was about to rise up above the rail and drop down and start ripping apart the robots when the alarms started sounding throughout the base. Her training kicked in, and she sensed rather than saw the first rounds that struck through the wall she and her five comrades were hidden behind. She pushed back the assault force and placed her body between the rounds and Dreamer, protecting the young girl from harm.

Astra turned and fired her heat vision, decimating four of the Lex-bots. "Astra, two members of Alpha are down four members of Gamma. What is your situation?" Lucy shouted over her coms.

"We are currently exposed to enemy fire, none of my team is injured," Astra answered calmly, as her military training took over completely. She moved quickly down the walkway and rose and shot her vision again, taking out three more robots. "There are several hundred active machines in this location, Director."

"Did you say several hundred, Solaria?" Lucy clarified.

"That's correct, my estimate may be off, but that is the best guess," Astra answered as more shots rang out. She heard a scream and watched one of her team drop to the floor, a gaping wound in her leg. She moved to the woman's side, applying pressure to the wound, while one of the machine gunners pulled his med-pack from his hip and started treating his teammate.

"Solaria, fall back, you are incredibly outnumbered, we can send a larger assault force," Lucy directed.

"We can't, they will attack the city, and I can't be everywhere at once, someone will get killed," Astra snapped.

"And Supergirl will kick your ass and mine if you or anyone else gets hurt," Lucy snapped right back.

"What would she do, Director Lane?" Astra asked, growling at the situation.

Dejected, Lucy answered, "She would get the troops out and go back in. Please, be careful Astra, please."

Astra smiled at the concern in Lucy's voice, "Don't worry, Lucy, this would be a true warrior's death, but I made a promise to my Little One, and will not be dying today."

Back at headquarters, Lucy Lane closed her eyes and lifted her cell phone, scrolling through her messages and clicked on the screen, dialing Lena's number.

"Lucy? Is Astra okay?" Lena's concern bled through the line.

"She's fine right now, but she is pinned down at one of Lex's old bases and surrounded by a few hundred active robots." Lucy paused, swallowing hard, "We need your help, please?" The last word was whispered in desperation.

"I'll do what I can, I can be there in about twenty-five minutes," Lena said, running to her desk to grab her bag.

"No, that's too long!" Lucy yelled, then Lena heard her next command, "Brainy, connect to Lena's personal computer, Directors Authorization, LL252, and do it quickly."

"Lucy?" Lena choked.

"Don't make me regret this decision, and don't let anything happen to her aunt," the threat evident in Lucy's voice.

"I'll do what I can, can you patch me through?" Lena asked, her palms sweating.

"Astra, I'm allowing Lena in on this operation, she is coming across the coms, now," Lucy snapped harshly.

"All troops are out, one didn't make it, Lucy," Astra choked.

"Thirty-one out, one casualty, assault craft is approaching now. You did what you could, Astra," Lucy said, gripping her command station.

"Astra! I'm pinned down, I can't move!" Nia cried over the channel.

"On my way, Nia," Astra spoke, her voice sounding much calmer than her heart.

"Astra, there is a control grid three floors above the hangar. It controls all the robots and I am trying to get into the computer system now, I need you and Nia to keep the AI busy for a few minutes so it will stop rerouting me," the panic was evident in Lena's voice, she hadn't battle Lex's systems in several months and she wasn't ready. Then a thought came to her mind, "Lucy, can you get on a computer and help, your-other skills may help."

"Logging on, shoot me a hint of where to go." Lucy jumped into her seat just as Lena sent her a link. She double-clicked and was instantly plugged into the system. She recognized the code, and immediately doubled back through the files, and then started looking for the AI code.

"What are you doing, Lucy?" Lena asked.

"Using the AI against itself, I'm plugging in false signals throughout the system and masking yours. Kara taught me this trick, just keep going, between Astra, Nia, and me you should be able to get to the control system." Lucy smiled, this was something she could do.

Astra dropped to the floor of the hangar, crushing a robot as she landed. Across the room, Dreamer lowered herself slowly, twin energy whips cutting through four targets. Then she was gone as she ducked behind a half wall and popped back up twenty feet further down the wall. Astra tracked three robots targeting Nia and lit them up with her heat vision, but she focused too long and one caught her and flung her towards the far wall.

Lucy was running through two different subsystems when she found one that may help. Quickly, she reprogrammed twelve of the robots to target other machines.

"Nia! Duck!" Lucy screamed.

Nia dropped to the floor, using her power to form a small shield around herself, just as Lucy's twelve pets started to fire at the other Lex-bots. Astra climbed out of the hole she had created in the wall in time to watch twenty-four monsters fall to the rounds being guided by her commanding officer. It didn't last long as the twelve controlled units were utterly destroyed as the AI targeting master system let loose from thirty different robots.

"Almost there…"Lena mumbled, forgetting she was on the coms.

Nia screamed as a round pierced her shoulder, breaking everyone's concentration, except Astra, who was suddenly standing in front of her young charge, bullets bouncing off her back like water flowing from a shower. "She's alive!" Astra snarled, "you two get these damned things turned off, now!" Then she turned and her heat vision changed to the same blue hue of Kara's eyes, and twenty robots exploded, taking another fifteen with them. She turned and scooped up Nia and leaped up to the balcony.

Nia gritted her teeth, "Get those bastards, Astra."

"By Rao, now I know why my niece loves you so much," Astra said as she jumped the railing, landed, and punched one of the robots through two more into the far wall.

"I'm in!" Lena shouted. She took a quick second to figure out the system, laughed and found what she was looking for. "Astra, get out now, and make sure the blast doors are closed and locked."

Punching another robot, Astra spoke quietly, "affirmative." Then she jumped back to Nia's side and lifted the girl up. She flew quickly to the entrance they used and scanned the room. Using her heat vision, she sealed the doors, then remembered the hole she had created. She laughed and flew down towards the floor and snatched two robots off the floor and carried them to the hole, crushing them together and welding to the wall. Then back to Dreamer.

"This hurts," Nia's lips were shaking, "Kara's going to be mad at me."

"Nonsense, she will be proud." Astra smiled as they flew through the doors, pausing long enough to seal them as well. Then she shot through the hallways exiting and flying up about five-hundred feet, hovering directly beside the assault craft.

"Lucy, I'm sending a core overload to four separate units, this is going to be one hell of an explosion," Lena stated calmly.

"All personnel, withdraw from the area immediately, Astra and Krypton One, pull back and up to one-thousand feet and one mile out," Lucy commanded.

Following their director's orders, the troops withdrew.

"Core overload in 5...4...3...2...1…" Lena counted down over the coms. Then her screen went blank as the computer system ceased to exist.

Nia turned her head towards Astra's chest as the base exploded and the mountain shrank in on itself. She groaned at the pain in her shoulder and passed out, while Astra looked down on her, "indeed, she will be very proud of you, little dreamer."

"Krypton One confirms base destruction," the pilot said quietly. "RTB in forty-five minutes, Krypton One, out."

"Krypton One, this is Director Lane, confirm RTB, see you shortly guys." Lucy stood from her chair, and looked to Vasquez, "Make sure medical is prepared for incoming injured."

"Lucy, is there anything I can do to help?" Lena asked, her voice surprising Lucy, who had forgotten she was there.

"No Lena, we have it under control from here," Lucy answered, the hardness in her voice tempered by Lena's assistance.

"Let me know if I can do anything for the family, please Lucy," Lena practically begged.

"This isn't on you Lena, it wasn't your fault." Lucy spoke softly, then whispered, "and Lena, thank you. You saved us again."


	31. Reunion

"We hang out, we help one another, we tell one another our worst fears and biggest secrets, and then just like real sisters, we listen and don't judge."

― **Adriana Trigiani, ****Viola in Reel Life**

"Hey, sleepyhead," Alex whispered, poking Kara's shoulder. "Time to get up, we are going surfing today."

Yawning as she rolled over, "just a few more minutes," she grumbled just a bit and rolled back over, pulling the blanket over her head.

"Five minutes, Kar, or I'm eating breakfast at the diner without you," Alex called out as she left the bedroom.

"No fair, Alex!" Kara yelled at the door as she sat up. "You didn't say we were going for breakfast last night." She slid out of bed and got dressed, sliding into her tennis shoes as she got to the door.

Alex turned, looking up from her coffee as she heard Kara's door open, "that was faster than I thought."

Kara stuck her tongue out at her sister as she made her way to the front deck. Once she was out in the sun, she started stretching, trying some of the poses that Kelly had been teaching her. Alex walked towards the door, taking a sip from the mug she was holding. A small smile crossed her lips as she thought about her girlfriend, 'I wonder what she's up to this morning.'

Pulling out her phone she took a quick snap of Kara in a pose and sent it off via chat. She heard the familiar tone as Kelly responded.

K: 'Supposed to be sister's weekend?'

A: 'Wanted to show you what she is doing, and I can't help it, I miss my girlfriend.'

K: 'I miss you too, honey, tell her to adjust her feet, slightly further apart, even with her shoulders.'

"Kara, adjust your feet, further apart, even with your shoulders," Alex coached. "Kelly says hi, by the way." Then Alex laughed, realizing that she had literally spoken word for word what Kelly typed.

A: 'New pic, better?'

K: 'Perfect, I love you, and I have an appointment in 45 minutes. XOXO.'

A: 'Love you too, send pics when you find the one you like. XOXO.'

Putting away her phone, Alex finished her coffee as Kara went through a few more poses. Kara stretched out of her last pose and turned, "Breakfast time?"

"Yep, Kelly says your form looks good, just remember foot placement." Alex smiled, "now let's go."

The two women walked down the steps towards the beach and made their way, arm in arm, to the diner.

* * *

Andrea Rojas was finishing her Kata when she heard a knock on the door. She looked at the clock, noticing it was still very early, and moved slowly towards the door. She started to look out the peephole when she heard a distinctive whining at the door.

"Andi, Morgana knows you are at the door," Lena laughed.

Andrea opened the door, smiling, "Hey you, I didn't expect you this morning, aren't you normally at the office on a Saturday morning?"

"Normally yes, but I am trying something new," Lena smirked, then pulled the unsuspecting brunette into a hug.

Andrea felt Lena's arms wrap around her and smiled contently, hugging her friend back. "do I smell coffee and croissants?"

Lena's smirk turned into a smile as she picked up the coffee and bag from the hallway table, "I thought breakfast would be nice."

"How about on the balcony?" Andrea asked as the two women made their way across the living room.

"Sounds lovely," Lena answered. Morgana followed behind, sniffing the bag in Lena's hand.

* * *

Kelly met Nia and Astra at Noonan's twenty minutes after her text from Alex, "where are Brainy and J'onn?"

"They will be joining us shortly." Astra answered, "how is my niece?"

"She is doing quite well, Astra. Her arm is healed completely and her stitches are out," Kelly answered, "Are you going to see her?"

"Nia and I are driving down on Monday afternoon to spend a few days," Astra smiled.

"She will be thrilled," Kelly responded.

"Nia said it would be a nice surprise," Astra smiled even more widely, "I miss my Little One, terribly."

J'onn and Brainy picked that moment to arrive and as they sat, Kelly filled everyone in on Kara's progress and they explained how Lena had helped them through their crisis the day before.

* * *

Kara and Alex had just finished up breakfast and were headed back to the house, where they changed into wetsuits and grabbed the boards Alex had delivered. "You ready, sis?"

Kara looked at Alex and swallowed hard, then nodded her head.

"Kara, you'll be fine, I promise, I'm not going to let anything happen to you," Alex spoke softly and seriously.

They lifted their boards and headed towards the water.

Several hours and even more wipeouts later, Alex was up and riding the biggest wave they had seen all morning. Kara was watching every move her sister made, cheering her on and clapping whenever Alex transitioned from one move to another. She watched as a smaller wave rolled in and started paddling out to it, keeping an eye on Alex as she did. She turned into the wave and stood up slowly, getting her balance, riding the wave from side to side. She stopped looking at her feet long enough to look forward and saw Alex clapping and whistling as she rode the wave towards shore. As the wave slowed, she dropped off the board, landing softly on the sand underneath her. She and Alex were hugging tightly when they heard the scream…

"My daughter, oh god, my daughter, she's gone!" The woman on the beach was yelling and waving frantically.

Alex and Kara immediately started scanning the beach, looking up and down for a lone child. Kara turned and looked out into the water and noticed a board with a small child, maybe 9 or 10 clinging to it as it moved away from shore. She grabbed Alex's hand and pointed. Alex followed her sister's finger and saw the little girl and grabbed her own board and started to dive forward. She was on her third stroke when she looked to her right and saw Kara keeping pace with her.

"What are you doing?" She screamed over the waves.

"I'm helping," Kara grinned, her eyes reflecting the hard glint of focus that she showed the world as Supergirl.

The two women continued to swim out to the little girl, reaching her board at the same time. She was crying as Kara and Alex swam up beside her. Alex smiled at her and Kara reached over to catch her board.

"Hey, you're going to be okay, we are here to take you back to your mom," Kara spoke gently, her voice carrying even over the ocean sounds.

"We-We-We're so far o-oout-out. I'm sca-scared," the red-haired little girl sniffled.

"It's okay to be scared, even grown-ups get scared. I'm Kara, and that's my big sister, Alex. What's your name?"

"Meri," she answered, clutching at Kara's arm when a wave rocked the board.

"Alex, I'm going to switch boards," Kara warned. "Can we tether Meri's board to yours and paddle back?"

"That's a good idea," Alex nodded as she reached for the tether to Meri's board. She tied her board to Meri's and turned to paddle forward. Kara laid down on Meri's board and allowed the girl to sit on her back as she helped Alex paddle forward.

The three of them reached shore twenty minutes later and as Kara and Alex got the boards ashore, Meri rushed to her mother. Meri and her mother approached the two sisters and before anyone could react the little girl threw her arms around Alex and hugged her with all her might, "my hero."

Alex blinked to hide the tears and turned her head as Kara snorted at her. Then Alex laughed as Kara was engulfed in a hug and watched her sister's eyes well up. "Thank you, Ms. Kara," Meri said, smiling up at the blonde.

"Hi, I'm Meri's mother, Ellen, Ellen Grey.", the older red-haired woman held out her hand.

"Kara Danvers, this is my sister Alex." Kara took the hand and shook gently.

Alex took the woman's hand and shook it, "She will be fine, just a little scared."

"Thank you both so much, I don't know what I would have done if I had lost her. You two really are heroes. Is there anything I can do to repay you?" Ellen asked earnestly.

"No, just knowing she is safe is enough for us," Alex answered before Kara could.

"Can I get a picture?" Meri asked, holding her mom's phone.

Kara quickly ducked down and grabbed her glasses and a hair tie, and slid them on and pulled her hair up, then squatted down and told Meri she needed to be in the picture too. The phone was handed back to her mom and Alex, Kara and their new friend posed for a picture.

* * *

That evening in National City, Kelly sat down cross-legged on the couch at Alex's apartment watching the news, when a grainy picture of Alex, Kara, and a little girl identified as Meredith Grey, age 10, flashed on the evening news.

"As part of our good news in the news segment today, two of National City's daughters saved a little girl whose surfboard was floating…"

Kelly didn't hear the rest of her story as her text messages started going nuts as all her and Alex's friends started asking what was going on.

* * *

Lucy Lane was finishing up some paperwork when the text messages started, and she followed the link to the story that Kelly had shared. She immediately started checking the national news for any stories about Supergirl, just to be sure.

* * *

Astra, Brainy, Nia, and J'onn were training when Nia's phone started to buzz. Picking it up, she laughed as she showed the story to everyone.

"Leave it to my Little One and her sister to find trouble while they should be resting," Astra deadpanned.

* * *

Eliza Danvers had just come into the house from walking Ozi when her phone buzzed. Reading the story, she looked down at the dog, "Your momma and your aunt can't seem to stay out of trouble."

* * *

Lena was watching the news when the story came on, "Supergirl saves the day."

"What was that, Lena?" Andrea asked from the kitchen.

* * *

In Metropolis, Sam's phone lit up as she was going through some of Ruby's school memories. Ruby came in screaming, "Mom, did you see the news, did you see what Kara and Auntie A did?"

Smiling and nodding her head, Sam looked at her daughter and held up her phone, "I saw."

"Are you going to text her, I already texted Auntie A," Ruby blurted out.

"She's on vacation with her sister. I don't want to interrupt," Sam lied.

"You are so, so full of it, mom." Ruby laughed, "just text her."

Sam looked down at her phone, her finger hovering over the message icon when her phone buzzed.

K: 'I'm okay. I miss you. Talk later?'

S: 'I'll be up, going through Ruby's memories.'

K: 'Oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt.'

S: 'Don't be silly, you saved me.' Then she paused, debating her next words, 'I can't wait for later.'

K: 'Me either Sami, I miss you horribly.'

Sam's breathing sped up and she willed herself to relax, 'I miss you too, sweetheart.'

* * *

Back at the beach, Kara smiled as she read the last message, holding the phone to her chest. She didn't notice Alex standing behind her, smiling and shaking her head at her sister's antics. "It's almost time for dinner, Kar, we are meeting Ellen, Derek, and Meri at the restaurant in about 30 minutes."

"I'm ready, I was just texting…" She stopped as Alex shook her head.

"Sam, I know, Ruby and Kelly texted me at the same time." Alex smiled.

"I didn't know we would go viral," Kara said shyly, "this was supposed to be a quiet sister's weekend."

"Kar, I'm not mad at all. Trouble always seems to find us," Alex said, wrapping her arm around her sister's shoulder. "Get your jacket so we can head out."

Kara reached into the closet and grabbed her jacket, settling it on her shoulders. Alex snapped a picture just then, her hair partially hiding her face as she smiled into the collar of the coat. Then, just to be a brat, she sent the picture to Sam with a message, 'she misses you, Sami.'

* * *

Kara woke up early the next morning. She tiptoed into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, picking up her phone while she waited. Her conversation with Sami the night before had been funny and Kara found herself missing the brunette as she stared out the door watching the rain, as it fell on the sand and water. Lifting her phone, she sent a quick text to Sam, 'Hey, thank you for last night, miss you like crazy. I know you are busy, I just wanted to say hi.'

Moments later Sam responded, "Miss you too, we should go into town and get ice-cream when I get back.'

Kara responded, 'Sounds good, it's a date.'

In Metropolis, Sam read the message and fell off her stool, to the delight of her daughter. Ruby whipped her phone off the counter and snapped a picture of her mom sprawled on the floor with her mouth wide open, staring at Kara's response on her screen.

"That one's for Auntie A," Ruby smiled as she clicked send on her phone.

Back at the beach, Alex rolls over as her phone vibrates, falling back to sleep.

'Wednesday after we get back, I promise,' Sam finally responded. 'Now I'm going to go finish packing.'

'Have fun, I'll look forward to Wednesday, love ya, Sami.' Kara smiled as she typed back.

"Love ya too, sweetheart,' Sam responded, as she picked herself up off the floor and made her way to the bathroom, hoping a cold shower would work on her.

Kara walked to the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee, but she was so caught up in her thoughts of Sam and Ice Cream that she forgot to add cream and sugar, almost spitting out the bitter coffee as she took her first sip. She returned to the counter and corrected her mistake, then texted Lena.

K: 'Want to play a game?'

L: 'Sure, but aren't you with Alex?'

K: 'She's still asleep, late night, and Sami is busy. If you don't have time, I understand.'

L: 'Andrea is asleep, I'm just working on paperwork.'

K: 'You and Andrea? :)'

L: 'Not like that, we are friends. You going to set up the board?'

Kara booted up the chess app and sent Lena a link to their private game. 'There ya go. You go first.'

Lena moved her first pawn on the board, 'I saw the news, you saved that little girl.'

'Me and Alex, it wasn't really dangerous, the water just worked against her.' Kara typed as she made her first move. 'We are actually babysitting her later today.'

'Of course, you are,' Lena smiled, even though Kara couldn't see her, then made her next move.

K: 'What does that mean?'

L: 'It means that's who you are, in or out of your glasses, you are always Supergirl.'

Kara smiled at the compliment, 'Thank you. Now can I ask a question?'

L: 'Sure, what's going on?'

K: 'Why am I getting paid already?'

Lena laughed at her end, of course, Kara would notice, 'I structured your contract so that you get paid on every two hundred sales.' Lena answered as she typed a few commands on her tablet, and was shocked to see that Kara's app had already entered the top fifty apps on both stores.

K: 'Okay, so I'm not being paid directly by the companies, my check comes through L Corp.'

L: 'Yes, it gives you a faster return, and it protects your identity because the company name is on the App instead of yours.'

Kara thought for a moment, 'Thank you, Lena, for protecting my identity.'

Before she could stop herself, Lena typed, 'Andrea knows!'

Kara looked at the screen, she read the statement twice and took a deep breath to stop the fear that was rising in her chest, 'Lena?'

Lena quickly typed, 'I didn't, I wouldn't, I swear Kara, it wasn't me.' Then she sat and stared at the screen, hoping this hadn't broken them again. After a few minutes, she typed, 'Kara?'

Finally, three small dots appeared and Lena held her breath as she watched them. 'I believe you, Lena, sorry for the pause.'

Lena slumped forward in her seat, 'I'm sorry.'

K: 'We agreed no more sorries, you were honest, you didn't have to tell me she knows, but you did. That's what friends do, Lena.'

L: 'Still friends?'

K: 'Yes, Lena Luthor, still friends. Want to see a new feature I've been working on?'

L: 'Okay?'

Suddenly there were three boards, each one set up and ready to be played. 'Now move on one board, we can play three games at once, or against three different players.' Kara typed.

L: 'You are amazing. You just created a multiplayer chess game.'

The next hour was spent playing, in the end, Kara was up by one game, with two stalemates between them. 'Thanks, Lena, that was fun.'

L: 'Enjoy your adventure in babysitting. Bye, Kara.'

K: 'Bye, Lena.'

* * *

Kara got up and walked into the kitchen, making a fresh pot of coffee, it was just finishing as Alex padded out in her DEO trainer t-shirt and poured a cup, walking back to the bedroom as she drank it.

"Good morning, Alex," Kara smiled at her sister's back. "Don't forget Meri will be here in about an hour and a half."

"Morning," Alex grumbled as the door closed.

Kara giggled as she headed to the bedroom to change out of her pajamas, did her yoga routine, this time with Kelly on video, and finally changed into shorts and t-shirt as she prepared for Meri's arrival.

* * *

There was a soft knock at the front door and Alex got up from the couch to answer. As she opened the door she was tackled at the waist by Meri.

"Ms. Alex!" Meri screamed as she ran in the door, "I'm here for the day."

Alex's grumpy mood from lack of sleep seemed to lift immediately as she smiled and squatted down for a real hug. "Hey, Meri, what would you like to do today?"

"I wanted to go to the beach with you and Ms. Kara, but it's supposed to rain all day," Meri frowned. "So I guess it's a movie and game day."

"You and Kara don't have to watch her, Alex. We can go back to our house," Ellen interjected.

"Nonsense," Kara huffed, "you two haven't had a date in ages, and it is going to be a quiet day stuck in the house for us. So go, have fun."

"Are you sure?" Ellen asked, but the smile on Alex's face answered her question and she and Derek said goodbye and made their way back to the car.

* * *

The three of them spent the morning playing games and trying to put together a puzzle. Kara and Alex also answered an endless string of questions, ranging from pets and cooking to what the two women did for work. They had found out that Meri's dad was a doctor and her mom was a scientist of some sort. Lunchtime rolled around and Kara and Alex made grilled cheese and soup. Once everything was ready they took it into the living and decided to eat while they loaded a movie.

They finished lunch and Meri and Alex were sitting on the couch watching Frozen while Kara got up and cleaned up and made popcorn. Kara came back in and found Meri leaned up against Alex, her eyes barely staying open as the little snowman sang his song. Alex wrapped a light blanket around the little girl and felt her snuggle up close.

As the credits rolled Kara looked over and noticed both of them were asleep, she quietly got up and tucked a blanket over her sister. Smiling, she held her camera up and sent a picture to Kelly.

K: 'Oh my, aren't they adorable.'

Kara: 'Motherhood looks good on our girl.'

K: 'Very good. She still has the paperwork.'

Kara: 'She does?'

K: 'Yep, I think after all this, she is ready Kara. And I know you are thinking it's your fault, but it's not.'

Kara: 'How can you be so sure?'

K: 'Because we have talked about it.'

Kara: 'Really, she still wants to adopt?'

K: 'We do.'

The line of emojis that jumbled up her screen caused Kelly to laugh as her real estate agent stopped in front of the next building.

K: 'Got to go, talk to you later, love ya, girl.'

Kara smiled as she sat watching her sister, her heart a little lighter. She was still staring when Alex's eyes opened.

"What are you smiling at ya, dork?" Alex asked, a sleepy smile on her face.

"Nothing," Kara answers, the smile never leaving her face.

Meri stretched and yawned, and opened her eyes, "I missed the end."

"It's okay honey, we can watch it again," Alex smiled as the little girl cuddled closer.

The movie had just ended when they all heard a knock on the door. Kara got up and opened the door inviting Ellen and Derek in.

Meri sat up and said hello, then leaned back into Alex, "Can we watch another movie?"

"We need to head home, baby," Ellen said. "And I am sure Ms. Alex and Ms. Kara have something to do."

"No, no we are fine, we can watch another, maybe order pizza," Alex blurted out.

Kara cracked up at Alex's antics, but quickly got herself under control as she called up the delivery app on her phone, "Anybody have a favorite?"

They gathered around the coffee table as they enjoyed each other's company and another Disney movie.

* * *

The next morning Alex was up first, she looked out the doors and saw it was still raining, but decided to stay up. She made a pot of coffee and waited patiently while it brewed. Thinking to the events of the weekend, 'I'm finally ready,' she thought to herself.

"Penny for your thoughts, Alex?" Kara whispered as she came in and stood next to her sister.

Wrapping her arm around Kara's shoulder, Alex smiled out at the grey sky and watched the waves crash, "You ready to be an Aunt, Kara?"

"Really?" Kara squealed.

"Yes, really," Alex smiled at her.

The rest of the day was spent eating and laughing, while they packed and cleaned everything up. At the end of the day, the sisters were sitting on the couch eating ice cream and talking about their futures.

* * *

Meanwhile, at home in Midvale, a portal opened and the puppy ran to the stairs and started barking, trying to defend the house. "Ozi, stop, it's Alura, your mommy's mother," Eliza whispered, as Alura Zor-El stepped out of the portal.

"Hello, Eliza, I'm sorry I couldn't contact you ahead of time," Alura offered as she approached the house. "Who is this?" She asked, pointing at Ozma.

"This is Princess Osma, Kara's therapy puppy," Eliza smiled, introducing the puppy.

"She is very pretty. Princess Ozma? I don't recognize that name from Kryptonian history," Alura spoke as she squatted down and held her hand out to the puppy.

"It's from one of Kara's favorite movies here on Earth, and the series of books that go with it," Eliza explained, "I own the disc if you would like to watch it."

"That sounds. Interesting," Alura replied. "Kara introduced me to popcorn the last time we watched a disc together."

Eliza laughed, "you got the whole Danvers treatment, come on in and we will make popcorn and get some drinks and settle on the couch like I did with the girls when they were growing up." Eliza hesitated, "I apologize Alura, I forget how much you missed that part of Kara's life."

"I sent her here to save and protect her Eliza, I can't imagine a better woman for her to grow up with," Alura smiled sadly. "The woman she has become is because you raised her to be strong and brave."

Eliza smiled and grabbed Alura's elbow and led her in the house, "the girls will be back tomorrow, they took a trip to the ocean for some sister's time."

"Sisters," Alura thought aloud.

"Actually, it's funny you arrived when you did, Astra is coming tomorrow," Eliza included in the conversation.

"Here, to see Kara?" Alura questioned.

"Yes, and now to see her sister," Eliza smiled.

* * *

In Metropolis Sam was just getting off the phone. "Ruby," she called out. "The movers are coming a day early, they will be here around lunchtime today."

"My stuff is ready," Ruby responded.

"So we are all done, except for," she thought aloud, "nothing, we got everything packed."

"So we can go home tomorrow?" Ruby questioned.

"As soon as they finish." Sam smiled, her thoughts turning to blue-eyed blonde. "Maybe we can surprise Kara and Aunti A tomorrow."

"Not if your heart is pounding like it is right now," Ruby laughed.

"Dear child of mine, go put on some shoes so we can get some food," Sam deadpanned, but the smile wouldn't leave her face.

* * *

"You are certain Eliza won't mind us coming early, Nia?" Astra asked for probably the twentieth time since they'd left National City. They pulled up the road leading to the Danvers household and moved towards the driveway. Astra tilted her head to the side and listened.

"You said that Kara, Sam, and Ruby are not here, correct?" Astra asked as she continued to scan the area with her hearing.

"Yes, why?" Nia questioned, looking at Astra.

"There is another Kryptonian here. But their heart rate is unusual although it sounds familiar." She focused her hearing, "it's almost like Kara's."

Nia tapped a button on her bracelet and her uniform formed around her as she brought the car to a halt. In the passenger seat, Astra did the same and pulled her mask over her head. The two women exited the vehicle and Astra took to the air. She started to scan the house, when the front door opened and Ozi rushed Nia, barking and bouncing.

"Nia, is that you?" Eliza called out.

"Eliza, are you safe, Astra heard an unusual heartbeat from in the house," Nia yelled, scanning the doorway, looking for a threat.

Eliza laughed, "Did the heartbeat sound familiar, Astra?" She paused a moment, "Focus on your own."

Astra stopped listening to outside sounds and focused on her own heartbeat for a moment. She heard the steady thrumming of her heart and opened her senses so she could hear the other. Two hearts, one strong pounding that seemed to overlap the other. The heartbeat of twins. "Alura?"

From inside the house, "It's good to see you again, sister."

* * *

The movers finished loading the last of their belongings into the truck and Sam signed the invoice. As they watched the truck drive off, Ruby looked up at her mom, "Can we go home now?"

Sam sighed, "home sounds good." Then she looked down at Ruby and yelled, "race you to the roof!"

Ruby stood still for a second as her mom disappeared into the building in a blur. She shook her head and ran around the back of the building as quickly as she could and leaped up onto the roof.

Sam emerged from the access door at superspeed, grinding to a halt as Ruby laughed, "What took so long?"

Sam's jaw dropped as she stared at her daughter who was scanning the nearby buildings and then shot into the air, "meet you at the house, mom."

Glancing around, Sam jumped into the sky after her daughter, laughing as she caught her.

* * *

Astra, Nia, Alura, and Eliza were sitting around the table eating and talking when the subject of their recent activities in National City came up.

"So Astra, how are you adjusting to being Solaria?" Eliza asked.

"You should have seen her the other day," Nia interjected. "She absolutely destroyed two Lex-Bots that were attacking a DEO team. And then, she got Lena to help us take down the rest."

At the mention of Lena's name, Alura bristled, her face turning a deep shade of red, "you sought out that woman, after what she did to our Kara?"

"Your daughter is protecting that woman Alura. Lena has proven herself to myself, Nia, and the DEO," Astra snapped. "I know it's your nature to only see the crime, but Lena Luthor is more than what she did to my Little One."

Alura stood abruptly and stared daggers at her sister, "I have never had a choice but to see the world as black and white. My path was set the moment we were born, this is who I am, regardless of how you see me, Astra." She paused to take a breath, "Kara was my whole world before Krypton and she has consumed my thoughts ever since I first visited Earth."

"Then accept that she wants Lena safe Alura, that she cares about the woman. What Lena did was criminal, but your daughter-she withheld judgment because she is loyal to her friends and family first," Astra spoke calmly, knowing the words would hurt her sister and hating herself for it.

"It is my duty to judge, it's what I was raised for, it is who I am," Alura stopped. She was choking back tears as she continued, "My judgment was always sound, based on Kryptonian law."

"We were never close, sister, not until Kara was born. As she grew, so did we. She brought out parts of us that we had forgotten. You discovered compassion and I found hope, hope that I had lost after what I discovered about Krypton's core." Astra looked away, unable to face her sister, "it was my duty to defend Krypton, to save the lives of her people, even if it meant killing."

"And it was my duty to convict," Alura held her head high, but her eyes betrayed her as she admitted her shame. "I made a mistake Astra, I made many mistakes when it came to you. I used Kara to trap you, I convicted you, based on the law, when I should have instead heard your arguments, and then I made a promise to you I couldn't keep."

"Alura?" Astra whispered as she grasped her sister's hand.

"I tried Astra, to convince them of what was happening beneath the planet's surface, they wouldn't listen. Jor-El argued, Zor did everything he could, but in the end, all we could do was save two people, our children. I failed in my duty to protect Krypton. You didn't fail, I took away your chance," Alura whispered the last sentence as tears ran down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Astra."

Still holding her sister's hand, Astra stood slowly, "Alura, my sister, you performed your duty, what matters to me is that you believed in me." Then she paused, "Now, you need to have that same belief in Kara. She would never ask you to forgive Lena Luthor, but she would ask you to accept her decision."

Taking a deep breath, Alura nodded, "I will try. I do not seem to think very clearly when it comes to Kara's safety."

"I promise dear sister, Lena will cause no more harm to our Kara," Astra spoke solemnly.

"I hate to break it to both of you, but if Lena ever hurts Kara again, you will both have to stand behind Alex so you can watch what happens," Eliza interrupted.

Nia laughed out loud, breaking the tension in the room. The other three women joined in and Astra and Alura continued to laugh as they hugged.

As they all settled down, Astra looked up towards the ceiling, "Someone is flying in?"

"Kal?" Alura asked.

"No, it sounds like the Little Warrior and her mother, Samantha," Astra smiled.

"They weren't due home until tomorrow?" Eliza looked up, curiosity shining in her eyes.

"Little Warrior? Oh, wait, you mean Ruby," Nia cheered, as she shot out of her seat and headed towards the front door.

Sam and Ruby touched down lightly in the driveway as the door opened and Ozi came running out to greet them. The little puppy jumped right into Ruby's arms, licking her face as the young Kryptonian laughed.

Nia came running out the door and saw Nia and Sam standing there. Ruby handed the puppy to her mom as she and Nia hugged. Sam headed towards the front porch as Astra, Alura, and Eliza came to the door. "Hey Eliza, I didn't know you would have guests. Good evening General," then she bowed slightly to Alura, "your honor."

Eliza engulfed the taller woman in a hug, "you know you won't be able to surprise her, right?"

"How did you know I planned to surprise her?" Sam questioned.

"Because she would have texted me to let me know you were coming back early. You might want to let Ozi down before we smoosh her," Eliza laughed.

"Sorry girl," Sam apologized as she set Ozi on the porch. The little puppy harrumphed and headed back out to Nia and Ruby.

"Samantha, how was your trip?" Astra asked.

"Productive, our things should arrive the day after tomorrow. Then we can make it a home," Sam smiled.

"I would think the addition of my daughter would do more to make it a home," Alura laughed.

Sam coughed at the comment, unable to form any words. Her face was bright red from her neck to the tips of her ears.

Astra and Eliza simply laughed along with Alura.

After finally settling down in the house, the group decided to watch a movie. Ruby grabbed the remote as she and Nia settled on the floor. The older women filled the couch and recliners. Ruby clicked the power button and pressed played and the familiar chords from the opening of the Wizard of Oz filled the living room.

* * *

The smell of coffee brought a smile to Kara's face as she stretched and rolled to the side of the bed. She got up and headed into the kitchen, finding her sister already dressed for a walk along the beach. She turned around and headed back, getting dressed in her jeans and Sam's sweatshirt, slid on her tennis shoes, and met her sister on the deck. Alex handed her a cup of coffee and they made their way down the beach arm in arm, sipping their coffee and enjoying each other's company.

* * *

In National City, Kelly was headed out of town, disappointed that she hadn't found a suitable building for her practice. Three blocks from Alex's apartment, she slowed to a stop. Looking around she found a parking spot and slid her car in. Stepping out, she looked up and smiled at the for rent sign on the three-story brownstone. 'Perfect!' she thought to herself as she pulled out her phone and sent a picture to Alex. Moments later she received a response, 'Very nice, we could even live upstairs.'

K: 'We could?'

A: 'If you can stand the thought.'

K: 'Are you for real honey?'

A: 'Kelly Michelle Olsen, I think we should move in together.'

K: 'I'll get the information, I may be late getting back to Midvale though.'

A: 'I'll wait up. Love you.'

K: 'I love you too.'

Back on the beach, Kara and Alex were dancing in circles as they hugged over the news. "I'm so happy for you Alex!" Kara shouted as they bounced around like two little girls.

"You ready to head home, Kara?" Alex asked as they stopped.

"Yes. This has been a perfect weekend, but I miss Sa-I miss home," Kara responded, catching herself and turning her face so Alex couldn't see her blush.

Alex smirked and linked her arm through Kara's bent elbow and dragged her sister back to the house.

The two women packed the bike and Kara zipped up her jacket and climbed on the back of Alex's Harley. Alex checked her messages from Kelly and saw that they could move in as quickly as they wanted. Kelly had sent pictures as well, but Alex didn't care what the place looked like, only that she was finally starting her own little family.

* * *

A few hours later the girls rounded the curve up to their mom's house and Kara tapped Alex's leg. "We have company," she spoke into Alex's ear.

"Who?" Alex asked without yelling.

"Sami, Ruby, Nia, and Astra," Kara said loudly. Then she focused her hearing, something wasn't quite right. "Oh Rao, Alex, Mother is here."

Alex gunned the engine and they accelerated towards the driveway.

As they pulled into the driveway, they were met by Nia, Ruby, and Ozi coming back from a walk. Kara stood as Ozi jumped into her arms. "Hey, super pup, when did you learn that trick?" She asked as she kissed the dog's nose and was rewarded with a wet tongue on her face. Alex jumped off the bike and snatched a hug from Ruby as Nia wrapped her arms around Kara. The two older women switched hugging partners as Astra and Alura made their way out the door. Eliza followed a moment later. Kara found herself wrapped in a shared hug from her mother and aunt, and allowed herself to relax. "It is so good to see you both."

"It is good to see you as well, Little One," Astra admitted as she smiled, then untangled herself and headed towards Alex.

"I missed you so much daughter," Alura whispered as she wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"Same here mother," Kara grinned. "Are you staying for a little while?"

"Maybe longer than I originally planned," Alura answered cryptically.

The two women separated and held each other at arm's length, "Mother?"

"Later, I promise. I'm going to say hello to Alexandra and save her from your aunt." Alura responded.

Eliza snuck in behind Alura, "Hey baby, did you have a good time?"

"It was wonderful, we needed it so badly," Kara's grin got even larger. Then she wrapped her arms around Eliza, "thank you, mom."

"Why don't you go get Sam, she is getting some work done at the house, and we can eat lunch," Eliza suggested.

Astra was approaching Alex, who had just finished rubbing Ozi, "Hello Alexandra, did you and Kara enjoy yourselves?"

"Yes ma'am, thank you for asking," Alex answered, holding out her hand.

Astra was about to take the hand when Alura walked up and wrapped her arms around Kara's sister, "Stop judging, sister."

Eliza coughed to hide her laugh as Alex engulfed her in a hug.

* * *

Kara had just crossed the street when Sam's front door opened. She stopped and stared, as she caught the flakes of gold in Sam's eyes and the wind blew the brunette's hair to the side. Sam stopped as well, the sight of Kara's blue eyes and her body wrapped in that jacket and those jeans, momentarily stopping her from breathing.

Kara smiled, unzipping the jacket, exposing the National City College sweatshirt, "Hey Sami, miss me?"

"You have no idea, sweetheart," Sam grinned back. Then her eyes caught the sweatshirt, "Hey, isn't that mine?"

Kara bit her bottom lip, "Oops!"


	32. Healing Waters

"The best relationships in our lives are the best not because they have been the happiest ones, they are that way because they have stayed strong through the most tormentful of storms."

― **Pandora Poikilos, Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out**

Once again, everyone had gathered on the porch, Kara and Sam were on the swing with Ozi sitting between them. Alura, Alex, and Astra had taken places in the chairs, while Eliza was in her rocker. Nia and Ruby were sitting on pillows, talking amongst themselves.

The conversation flowed easily from one subject to the next, until the subject of the Lex Bots came up.

"Mother?" Kara asked, sensing the tension.

"I'm sorry, Kara, but that woman…," Alura waved her arms.

"Is under my protection, mother. I understand that you disagree, but it was my decision and my choice," Kara said, raising her head proudly.

"Does your family understand what that means? Does your champion?" Alura snapped, looking directly at her daughter and sweeping her hand from person to person "do they, Kara Zor-El?"

Kara gripped Sam's hand as she looked at Eliza and Alex, swallowing hard as her eyes fell, unable to face her family. "No," she whispered.

"What my daughter failed to tell you is that if Lena Luthor commits a crime or dies while under her protection, her life is forfeit," Alura explained, catching Kara in her gaze.

"What?" Alex jumped up from her chair, "Kara, what were you thinking?"

"Kara? Why?" Nia asked.

"After what she did, Kara? Are you sure?" Eliza asked.

Sam's hand tightened on Kara's, "Sweetheart, is that what you meant to do?"

Suddenly they were all talking at once, and Kara drew away, into the corner of the swing, twisting her hands and hanging her head.

"Enough!" Astra yelled. "Stop it, all of you."

Everyone stopped talking and turned to face Astra.

Astra stood at her full height, looking first at Kara, a soft smile on her face, then she turned to Ruby and asked quietly, "don't you and Kara need to take Ozma for a walk, Little Warrior?"

"Yes, General," Ruby said as she stood and moved towards Kara, shooting daggers from her eyes towards everyone, "come on, Kara, let's go."

Taking Ruby's hand, Kara made her way across the porch without lifting her head. It didn't rise again until she and Ruby entered the woods, Ozi leading the way.

Sam watched guiltily as Kara walked across the yard, her eyes never leaving the blonde until she disappeared into the forest. She then turned and looked at Astra and the rest of Kara's family on the porch.

"Why was that necessary, Alura?" Astra hissed at her sister, "Kara is not on trial, by Rao, the girl is your daughter."

"Her family has a right to know what it means under Kryptonian law for Kara to take on this role." Then Alura spat, "does that woman understand what this means?"

"Lena knows and she understands what the law means," Astra responded. "She is no happier about the situation than the people sitting here, but she has accepted Kara's decision."

"Like it was ever her decision. Kara invoked Kryptonian law. That woman wouldn't understand the importance of duty and family…", Alura was interrupted again.

Astra's temper was rising, and she stepped forward, her words dripping with acid, "duty and family. You may understand duty Alura Zor-El, but you do not understand family. Your child took in a lost soul and made her part of her family, even as badly as Lena Luthor hurt her, she put family first. She did the same for me, she put family first when…"

"I killed Astra. Even though Astra was guilty, she would not let her go without Astra knowing she was still family, still loved," Alex interrupted. "But this is so much more. Lena almost killed her; Kara was not…"

"Not what Alex?" Kelly interjected as she stepped through the back door. "Kara did what she had to do to help herself heal. Lena Luthor is her family, as far as she is concerned, none of us has a right to say otherwise. Kara would have done the same thing for any person sitting on this porch."

Sam nodded, feeling even more guilty now, she looked out at the lake, tempted to check on Kara and Ruby, but resisting. "Lena will take this seriously?"

"I believe she will," Astra answered, smiling as Sam. "I'm sure a conversation with Kara's champion will convince her even more so."

"I won't hurt Lena," Sam said quietly.

"Samantha, your words carry weight to both of them, they listen to you because Lena respects you and Kara loves you," Astra said solemnly.

Samantha was speechless but nodded and looked off into the woods again.

Kelly checked the porch, looking at who was missing and nodded at Sam. Ruby and Ozi would take care of Kara while the argument on the porch was settled. Then she stepped past Alex and settled herself on the swing beside her friend.

"Now Alura, who tries her case if something happens to Kara's charge?" Astra asked sarcastically.

"As Krypton's last Adjudicator," Alura answered, fear showing in her eyes. She whispered, "I do."

"So, tell me sister, which is more important, duty or family?" Astra asked.

Eliza, who had been sitting quietly, looked up at Alura, waiting patiently for the answer.

Alura looked down at the porch, then lifted her eyes and met Eliza's eyes, "I would step away from my duty and support our daughter any way that I could."

Astra's retort stopped on the tip of her tongue, she looked at her sister, shocked.

"I lost her once. I almost lost her a second time. I think it is time for Argo to elect a new leader, I think it is time for-for family to come first," Alura spoke quietly, making a decision that she should have reached weeks ago when Kara first needed her.

Nia had seen the same look on her mother's face when she explained the importance of her powers, "Alura, do you mean what you are saying? You would step away from Argo, to be here, for Kara."

"She won't forgive herself unless you are certain of this Alura," Kelly stated, "you have to be sure."

Alura looked at each face in front of her, ashamed of herself, "Kara deserves no less. I have always put duty before her."

"Alura?" Eliza asked as she placed her hand in the tall woman's.

"I never should have left, perhaps if I had been here…" Alura stopped, leaving the statement hanging.

"Do not go there Alura, you will drive yourself crazy," Kelly interjected. "No one knows what would have happened if any of us had been there. Lena wasn't herself; she may not have hesitated to hurt someone other than Kara."

Alex's eyes opened wide as she looked to Kelly with an unspoken question passing between them. Kelly's eyes answered back without words, 'Later.'

Alex nodded and turned back to the conversation. "I hate to be the one that asks, but how does Kara's protection of Lena end?"

"Kara must release Lena from her vow, or with either her death or Lena's, by natural causes," Astra sighed.

"Well we all know that Kara is not going to revoke the protection, so we will all have to make sure that Lena behaves," Eliza smiled. "Someone should go get the girls," she continued as she stood and made her way to the stairs. "And someone should apologize when we get back," she stated, looking directly at Alura, who hung her head.

* * *

Kara was quiet as she and Ruby made their way through the woods, so quiet that Ruby was starting to worry.

"Kara?" Ruby whispered.

The blonde smiled sadly but still didn't say anything as they made their way towards Alex's bench.

As they sat on the bench, Ozi hopped up between them, forcing her head under Kara's hand, Ruby tried again, "Kara?"

"I'm sorry Rubes, I wasn't trying to upset everyone, but I couldn't let mother hurt Lena," Kara responded sadly.

"Aunt Lena won't let anything happen to you, Kara." Ruby smiled, "I think everyone just overreacted to how they found out."

"I haven't really given it any thought since it happened, with everything else that has happened. Mother is obviously angry with me and Auntie A is never going to forgive Lena, not that I expect her too." Kara paused, "I should have talked to your mom though, making her my champion, that wasn't fair to her."

"Slide over Ozi," Ruby said as she shifted closer to Kara. The puppy bounced into Kara's lap as Ruby spoke, "Kara, momma isn't going to let anything happen to you, ever."

Kara looked at Ruby, her crinkle showing as Ruby's words rolled around in her head. "What does that mean?"

Ruby thought quickly, "You are her favorite person, her best friend…"

The answer seemed to satisfy Kara a bit, and she turned her eyes out towards the water, 'What if there was something more to it than just that,' she thought to herself. "Thank you, Rubes," Kara said as she leaned her head onto Ruby's, "thanks for being my hero today."

Ruby beamed at the statement and closed her eyes and relished her time with Kara.

The two of them sat and watched the water as they rubbed Ozi. Then the dog's ears perked up and both women spoke.

"Hey, mom," from Kara.

"Hey, Eliza," from Ruby.

"That's cheating ladies." Eliza smiled as she stepped over to the back of the bench and rested her chin on Kara's head and pulled Ruby closer. "Are you two ready to go back?"

Kara slid over, pulling Eliza onto the bench so that she and Ozi were in the middle, "Can we wait just a bit? Please?"

Eliza smiled as she sat down resting her arm over Kara's shoulder and resting her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Kara?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell everyone. It was important to me that Lena be protected. Mother would have killed her or taken her to Argo and prosecuted her. I…" Kara paused, taking a deep breath, "I couldn't let that happen."

"Kara, baby." Eliza spoke as she looked over the water, "You have always protected everyone, especially your family. You hid your powers, your potential for years, then you came out as Supergirl, why?"

"Alex was in trouble; I couldn't lose her." Kara blurted out.

"Sam and Ruby?" Eliza questioned.

"Reign wasn't her fault, and who couldn't fall in love with Ruby," Kara said, turning her head to smile at Ruby.

"And all the others, your friends and family?" Eliza questioned, turning her head to look directly into her daughter's blue eyes.

"A very special woman taught me to always protect my family and…," Kara stopped. "Oh!"

"You are doing exactly what you always do, as Kara or as Supergirl, you are protecting the people closest to you." Eliza smiled, "you never needed that cape to be a hero, baby."

Kara sighed and leaned into Eliza's shoulder and tugged Ruby closer. Ozi settled in her lap and the four of them looked out over the lake, enjoying the view and each other's silent company.

* * *

Thirty minutes later the four of them emerged from the woods. Kara was walking with her head up and grinned as she scanned the porch. Then they locked on Sam who turned at that moment and as hazel met blue, Kara's grin spread even further as she smiled brightly. Sam saw the smile and relaxed, certain that everything between them was okay. Then she heard a whisper on the wind, "we are fine, Sami."

Ruby and Astra smiled as they heard the whisper. Alura frowned, ashamed that she had caused even a tiny doubt in the mind of her daughter's champion.

Kara stepped onto the porch and was wrapped in a hug by Alex, "Kara, I'm so sorr…"

"Stop Alex, don't." Kara put her hand up. Then she took Alex's hand and looked at all the people on the porch. "None of you owe me an apology. I should have explained what it meant for me to place Lena under my protection." Then she looked over at Kelly and saw the slight nod as Kelly smiled, showing pride in her patient.

"Kara…," Alura spoke.

"No mother, no apologies from you either. I am asking a lot of all of you to set aside your anger with Lena. I'm angry with her as well, but…" Kara looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath, "I can't hold onto that anger and be the person you have all taught me to be."

Everyone was quiet, it was the first time she had admitted anything resembling anger with Lena, and they realized that Kara would never forget what had happened, but in order to heal she had to find a way to move past the Fortress and go forward with her life.

Kara turned to her sister and smiled and winked, "Now I need you all to do me a favor, can you allow me to have a few minutes with my mother and aunt, alone?"

Alex nodded understanding that Kara was up to something and motioned everyone to enter the house. "We will be in the kitchen, Kar."

Sam was the last, and stopped as Kara gripped her hand, "Not you champion, this isn't just a family discussion, I need you by my side."

Surprised, Sam turned to look at Astra and Alura, who nodded permission. "It is my honor, Kara Zor-El," she said in stilted Kryptonese.

Kara smiled, then stood on her tiptoes and kissed Sam's forehead. In Kryptonese she stated, "Honor upon your house, Samantha Arias Zod, thank you for standing by my side."

Sam shivered at the words, and the feel of Kara's lips on her skin, then she responded, "Always. Kara Danvers Zor-El."

The four women made their way down the stairs into the yard, Astra and Alura looking at the women in front of them then at each other, smiling slightly at one another.

Once in the middle of the yard, Kara stopped Sam and smiled, then proceeded to step about two feet away and sat, cross-legged in the yard, motioning Sam down. Astra and Alura followed Kara's lead and formed a small diamond, matching the points of Earth's compass.

* * *

"As the head of the El family here on Earth, I Kara Zor-El invoke the rules of Council," Kara stated in English.

"I Astra In-Ze, with respect to the House of El, invoke the rules of Council, at the request of Kara Zor-El," Astra smiled at her niece.

"I Samantha Arias Zod, with respect to the House of El, invoke the rules of Council, at the request of Kara Zor-El," Sam looked to Astra, making sure she got the words right.

"I Alura Zor-El, head of my house and Governor of Argo, accept this Council, at the request of my daughter, Kara Zor-El." Alura smiled a bit confused by Kara's actions, then continued in Kryptonese, "Council is open."

"Thank you, mother, for Sam's sake can we please speak English." Kara smiled. Her mother nodded and Kara continued, "I am invoking this council in order to make a change to the vow of protection over Lena Luthor."

Alura looked at her daughter, suspicion in her eyes, "What is the change?"

"Before we move forward, I, Kara Zor-El ask that the Ambassador of Argo recognize this council as the ruling body for all Kryptonians on Earth," the blonde asked politely.

Alura frowned, "Kara, what is the meaning of this?"

Kara closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she was about to play politics with her mother, and she wasn't sure if she would win. "By Kryptonian Law, the council needs to be made up of three families."

"High-born families, Kara Zor-El," Alura countered.

"Be that as it may, on Earth, there are only three surviving families, El, Zod and In-Ze, therefore, citing Kryptonian law, there is no need for the council to be made up of only High-born. The Ambassador must also recognize that she is not truly high-born and married above her station," Kara swallowed, the last remark bitter on her tongue.

Her mother took an angry breath and began to speak, "I concede that the council is correct, by Kryptonian law, this council is legal. Tread lightly, daughter."

"Ambassador Zor-El, you are speaking to Earth's chief Adjudicator and the Head of the House of El, you will show respect," Astra spoke with the authority of her rank, keeping her eyes on her sister instead of smiling at her niece.

"Forgive my outburst, Adjudicator," Alura said through clenched teeth.

"Ambassador, you are forgiven," Kara smiled. "Do you recognize this body as it stands?"

"I do, as the Governor of Argo and Ambassador to Earth, I recognize the formation of Earth's Kryptonian council." Alura conceded.

"Then by Kryptonian law and my duty as a protector of Earth, be it known that Lena Luthor is now under the protection of Krypton's ruling body on Earth. Going forward she may only be tried by a unanimous vote of this sitting council," Kara spoke to Astra and to Sam, who both nodded. "Lena Luthor's offenses are pardoned as is my right as Chief Adjudicator of Earth. Going forward, any and all future offenses must be brought before my office. They will be investigated by the House of Zod, and if deemed appropriate, punishment will be carried out by the House of In-Ze."

Alura stood, turned her back, and looked to the sky, 'Rao give me strength,' she thought to herself. Turning back to her daughter, Alura smiled, "I agree to this council's ruling, but I have one amendment."

"Proceed, Ambassador," Kara smiled back.

"Lena Luthor will never be allowed to visit my city," Alura requested.

Kara grinned, "Agreed."

Alura sat back down, "Argo would request the naming of an Ambassador."

Kara looked at Sam and smiled. An unspoken agreement passed between them. "Ruby Patricia Arias, of the House of Zod. She is sixteen Kryptonian cycles old, therefore, she is allowed to hold the office of a minor colony."

Sam smiled proudly, knowing she would never hear the end of this from her daughter. 'Oh Rao, what did I just agree to.'

"Argo agrees to this appointment, and as Ambassador to Earth, I will, with this council's permission train her," Alura nodded.

"Thank you, Alura," Sam interjected.

"This council accepts the honor you have placed upon us Ambassador," Kara spoke regally.

"May I speak freely before the council?" Alura asked, watching as each head nodded. "I was prepared to leave Argo, to come here to Earth, to be with my daughter."

"Mother no, I couldn't ask you to do that, we both have our duties, and yours is Argo," Kara interrupted.

"Kara, I was never really there for you as a mother, but seeing you here, right now, I have never been prouder. Not of you as a hero of Earth, not as the youngest ever chosen for the Science Guild, not as Kara Zor-El," Alura sniffled, holding back tears, "I am proud of you as a mother should be of her daughter. You are my greatest accomplishment, and you have proven that here today. I will be returning to Argo in a few Earth weeks, but when I return it will be solely as the Ambassador to Earth."

Kara sat up proudly, as her champion and her aunt smiled at her. "Thank you, mother. Is Argo ready for that?"

"They are, I have held the position for too long as it is. Ambassador sounds so much better to me," Alura laughed. "Plus, it will allow me to visit my family here on Earth more often."

"This council is now adjourned," Kara spoke as she stood. Astra and Sam stood as well as Kara hugged her mother, "Are you angry with me, Mother?"

"Angry, no. Surprised, very. Where did you learn this?" Alura asked as she hugged her daughter back.

"I had a good teacher. I did watch what you did, you are a better mother than you believe," Kara said as she backed out of her mother's arms. "Thank you."

Alura beamed then looked to her sister, "Astra, I overstepped today, I allowed my emotions to cloud my judgment,"

"We have far to travel Alura, perhaps I will visit Argo after Kara is healed if I am permitted," Astra frowned.

"My last act as Governor and Chief Adjudicator of Argo will be to pardon your crimes, Astra," Alura promised. "I have much to learn from you about honor and standing up for what you believe."

"If you will excuse us, I need to discuss a few things with my champion," Kara said, smiling at Sam.

"Of course," The two women answered as they turned and moved towards the porch.

As Astra and Alura reached the steps, Sam turned to Kara, "What the hell just happened?"

"Uhm," Kara sputtered, "I just created a Kryptonian colony in order to not have all of you worried about me because of Lena."

"How did you? Where did you learn? That was so impressive," Sam asked as her thoughts jumped all over the place.

"I learned by watching my mother and Lena. But mostly I learned from you, watching you when you talk to Ruby, or handle a problem for work, even when you just talk to people in general." Kara smiled shyly.

Sam was speechless, completely surprised by the answer. Her mouth was moving, but she couldn't form a coherent thought.

"Sami, you still in there?" Kara asked, waving her hand in front of Sam's face.

Sam snapped out of her stupor and smiled at Kara, "you really think that?"

Kara's head tilted, "Sami, you are amazing, you always have been. You fought Reign alone, you raised Ruby alone." Then she took Sam's hands in hers, lacing her fingers through the brunette's. She stood on her toes, and lowered her voice to a husky whisper, "but I'm telling you, right now, you'll always have me, as long as you want me in your life, I'm here."

Sam closed her eyes and felt movement as Kara shifted closer to her face in the self-imposed darkness. The blonde looked longingly at the pale pink lips but at the last moment, unsure of herself, her lips pressed onto Sam's cheek, just a breath away from her mouth. 'Just a turn of my head, that's all it would take,' Sam thought to herself. She held her breath and concentrated on the woman directly in front of her. She felt the lips leave her cheek and shuddered as Kara nuzzled into her neck and exhaled a shaky breath of her own. Sam's own voice almost failed her as they hugged. "Who's going to tell Ruby that she is now the Ambassador to Argo?" Kara whispered in her ear.

Words continued to fail Sam when they heard Ruby exclaim, "I'm now the what?"

* * *

Minutes later Kara and Sam entered through the back door and were immediately bombarded with questions.

"Kara, did you really, what were you thinking, why?" Alex asked, talking over everyone else.

"I did it for all of you so that you wouldn't worry so much about me while Lena is under my protection. I'm so used to being Supergirl, that sometimes I forget how much of a team we all are," Kara responded. "And before any of you ask, it had to be Ruby, she is the only Earthborn Kryptonian the proper age to take on this position." Blue eyes locked onto Ruby as the young lady stood straighter and smiled brightly.

"Wait a minute, you took advantage of a barely known Kryptonian law to form a colony here on Earth to keep us from worrying about you?" Alex asked.

"You were all so angry with me, I didn't know what else to do, I was trying to fix this," Kara stuttered.

Alex pulled Kara into a hug, "Kara, we aren't angry, we are all very, very proud."

Kara found herself surrounded by everyone, except Sam.

Sam stood back, watching as Kara became the center of attention. Her thoughts were jumbled, had Kara wanted to kiss her? Was she overthinking? She and Kara had been so close for so long, was she seeing something that wasn't there?

Across the room, Astra saw the conflict in Sam's eyes. She stepped away from her Little One and approached the house champion. Taking Samantha's hand, she led her out onto the porch and spoke quietly, "Samantha, child, breathe."

Lifting her hands up, Sam rubbed her face, trying to wipe away the confusion and doubt. Kara had wanted to kiss her, and she wanted to kiss Kara. "I'm so confused, Astra." Sam hissed through her fingers.

"Samantha, she cares for you. She is probably just as confused, if not more than you are." Astra took the woman's hands and moved them down to her sides.

"I know Astra, but she was with Lena, well not really, but something held her back from following through with Lena," Sam turned away, looking over the water. "What if-if I'm not who she wants."

Astra took a breath and stepped beside Sam and wrapped an arm over her shoulder, "what if you were the reason she didn't commit to Lena, Samantha?"

Astra released the woman and stepped back into the house, leaving a very surprised Kryptonian champion standing on the porch.

Inside the house, the crowd around Kara started to disperse, and the blue-eyed woman glanced out the door and saw her champion staring out over the water. She focused her hearing, smiling as Sam's strong heartbeat came into focus. Feeling a breeze through the door, she grabbed her new jacket off the back of the couch and slid it on as she stepped through the door. Silently she made her way to Sam's side, feeling the woman tense, then relax as she leaned her head on her shoulder.

"How do you do that, sweetheart?" Sam asked, shaken.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Kara closed her eyes, listening as Sam's voice and calm nature washed over her.

"How do you sneak up on me?" Sam laughed a little.

Kara thought for a moment, "It's too scientific to explain, I bet Ruby can do the same thing."

"I don't understand," Sam said, a confused look on her face.

Kara stood up, taking her head off of Sam's shoulder, "We, oh Rao, we are like pack animals, we recognize threats. It's why Alex can sneak up on me if I'm not listening for her. You don't see me as a threat, so I can be sneaky with you." Then it was Kara's turn to look over the water, "it's why Lena could get away with what she did, she was part of my family, I didn't see her as a threat."

"Is that why you accepted me, even though I did what I did as Reign?" Sam asked, matching Kara's gaze over the water.

"Sami, it wasn't like that, you accepted me as family after Reign, part of you wanted to push me away but you didn't, you let me in, and I just stayed," Kara looked over and smiled over the collar of her coat, her blue eyes shining.

Sam's phone picked that moment to ring, and Kara saw a picture of herself on Sam's lock screen. She smiled as she began to step across the porch, out of earshot, but paused as long fingers wrapped themselves around the sleeve of her coat. Her eyes shot up and a bright smile met her gaze as Sam answered the phone, "Hello, Lena."

"Sam, I'm so sorry for interrupting you during your move, but I need you to come into the office tomorrow morning, I know you are supposed to be off this week, but this is important," Kara heard Lena whine through the phone and almost laughed at the look on Sam's face.

"Are you going to be in at your usual time?" Sam asked politely.

"Yes, about seven, does that mean you will come?" Lena's smile came through the speaker.

"I'll be there, I have a message from Earth's Kryptonian Adjudicator to deliver, and then we can have breakfast, but I have an important meeting with a contractor at lunchtime, so I have to be home by 11:30," Sam answered smiling at Kara and mouthing, 'Ice-Cream' in the blonde's direction.

"Earth's Kryptonian Adjudicator, why, did I do something?" Lena panicked.

Kara bit back a laugh and tried to look sternly at Sam as she heard the brunette respond, "the message is from Kara, and it's about the protection vow, she created a Kryptonian Council here on Earth to protect you. If it's okay, I will bring the Ambassador of Earth with me?"

"Astra or Superman?" Lena questioned.

"Ruby," Sam smiled as she heard Lena sputter. "We will be there around seven, see you in the morning, Lena."

As the call disconnected Kara and Sam burst out laughing, and Sam felt the weight of the almost-kiss lift a bit. "Kara, can I take you flying?" Sam asked quickly before the courage left her.

"Now?" Kara responded, the smile on her face growing.

"I know you miss it, and I've been practicing, I promise I won't…" she stopped as Kara's finger covered her lips.

"I would love to. Do you want a ponytail tie? I need a heavier pair of shoes." Kara dashed into the house. As she was running up the stairs, she yelled down, "Sami's taking me flying."

The whole room turned to look at a blushing Samantha Arias standing in the doorway. Sam shrugged her shoulders as she caught Astra nodding in her direction.

Kara came down the stairs a few minutes later wearing her biker boots and was zipping her jacket up over another of Sam's shirts she had borrowed. Sam cocked her head and Kara smiled and shrugged her shoulders, not even pretending to feel guilty.

Everyone stepped outside as Sam and Kara made their way into the yard.

"How do we do this?" Sam asked. Her question was answered as Kara stepped up and wrapped her slender arms around Sam's neck.

"Now put your hands on my waist, and let's go," Kara grinned.

Looking up, Sam placed her hands gently around Kara's waist and relaxed, feeling her feet leave the ground as Kara's boots rested gently on the toes of her tennis shoes. After floating up about twenty feet, Kara whispered in her ear, "Let's go!" Then they were gone.

* * *

As everyone headed towards the house, Kelly hung back, moving towards the table at the waterfront. Alex had been talking to Ruby on the porch and looked down towards her girlfriend. "Rubes, we'll be up in a bit, tell Eliza that we will order out tonight, my treat, okay?"

"No problem, Auntie A," Ruby answered as she headed into the house.

Alex made her way down to the table and saw Kelly sitting, staring out at the lake, tears streaming down her face. "Kelly, honey, what's wrong?"

"Do you both do this all the time? Do you always put everyone else before yourselves?" Kelly asked as she cried.

"What? Me and Kara?" Alex asked, clearly confused.

"Yes, do you realize that is the first time she has admitted anger with Lena. And you bury your emotions to support her," Kelly looked up at Alex, "I hate that woman for what she did to her, and at the same time I want to see her get well."

"Kelly? Honey, I'm sorry I got you mixed up in this." Alex wasn't sure what to say.

"Not you, Alex, I'm not looking for an apology, I wish you had arrested her, thrown her in jail, done anything. We couldn't for Kara's sake, but damn it, that woman deserved it," Kelly growled as she wiped her eyes.

"Honey, why didn't you say something? I didn't realize you felt like this" Alex sat down beside her girlfriend, a look of confusion on her face.

"Because I'm her doctor and your girlfriend, you two came first, it's my job," Kelly dropped her head to the table.

Alex quickly gathered Kelly into her arms, "Kelly, honey, we are in this together, please, don't hold it in."

"You don't understand, I've always been the one to hold back, with James, when I was in the military, it's always been who I am, then I met you and you are so strong and caring," Kelly paused, "I was scared to show weakness, afraid I would lose you, would lose this new family."

Alex sat shocked, speechless. "Kelly, I was always looking at you to lead me. I've never had good luck at relationships, and then you fell into my life, and I've been scared of losing you every day since."

The two women sat and looked at each other, "Alex, I love you and I want a life with you. We both have to get better about talking to the other about everything."

"So is it just Lena, or is there anything else?" Alex asked warily.

"Do you really want us to live together? To raise a child together?" Kelly responded, a question with a question.

"Yes, and yes," Alex smiled confidently as she drew the woman in closer.

'I'm going to marry you one day, Alexandra Danvers,' Kelly was thinking to herself as she curled into Alex's hug.

* * *

In the skies above National City, a blonde and a brunette were speeding towards a farm north of the city. Kara was hanging from Sam's arms, her own spread wide as she smiled and felt the sunshine down on her face. Sam's smile couldn't have been larger as she admired the woman she had fallen in love with.

"Where are we going?" Kara whispered.

"A little place I found, after-after Patricia kicked me out," Sam answered back.

Kara lowered her arms and gripped Sam's hands with her own, causing the woman above her to smile.

Several minutes later, they landed in a small clearing, and Kara was taken aback by the beauty of everything. "Oh Sami, this is amazing."

"I found it completely by accident and spent the first night here after I told Patricia I was pregnant with Ruby. It's a natural hot spring, and it was cold that first night, but this place kept me warm."

"Can I?" Kara asked.

"I own the farm sweetheart; you are more than welcome to test the waters." Sam laughed as she pulled her own shoes off.

Kara slid her boots off, and moved towards the edge of the water, she sat on a stone and lowered her feet into the hot waters, her eyes fluttering shut as the heat flowed through her feet and up her legs. "Oh Rao, that feels so good."

Sam's breath shuddered at the look on Kara's face and she started to second guess herself. Then she watched as Kara stood up and looked over her shoulder.

"Sami don't tell Eliza, but Alex and I used to swim in the lake all the time when it was dark. We found a little cove and Alex and her friends would let me join them," Then Kara pulled off her jeans, jacket, and sweatshirt and waded into the waters, swimming slowly towards the rocks on the other side.

Sam's eyes grew in size as she watched her supposedly innocent best friend strip down to her bra and panties and swim across the hot springs. Kara's body was quickly returning to normal and Sam couldn't help but stare at the toned abs and arms of the blonde. 'By Rao, what have I gotten myself into tonight.'

She started to slide out of her clothes and noticed an increase in Kara's breathing and heartbeat. Emboldened, she slowly entered the water, disappointed that she couldn't feel the warm temperatures the way Kara could. Kara had swum to the other side of the small pool and was sitting on a small rock outcropping. Sam was headed towards Kara when she noticed that she was sinking.

"Sami, it's like floating, you have to concentrate," Kara encouraged.

Sam concentrated and felt her body rise in the water, moving forward and reaching Kara. "Thank you, sweetheart." She pulled herself up beside Kara and the two women sat there, relaxing. Sam spoke again after a few minutes, "So after my incident with Reign, I took over the farm. I rent it out, but the property on this side is not part of the lease. I researched the springs and according to legend, the waters have healing properties."

Kara smiled, "we had a place like this on Krypton, only the waters glowed red. It had something to do with the minerals in the rocks. They were known for the same thing."

"I thought you would think it silly," Sam said shyly.

Leaning her head onto Sam's shoulder, "Sami, why would you think that? That's why you brought me here, isn't it?"

"No-no, I brought you here because you needed to fly, and this place is special to me and Ruby. It's one of the few things I've never shared with you," Sam answered.

Kara's looked up, "thank you, thank you for sharing."

The two women sat silently as their hands found each one another's under the water.

* * *

Back at home in Midvale

Everyone had gathered around the table as Alex and Kelly arrived with dinner. Astra, Alura, and Ruby all looked up as Ruby announced, "they're home."

There was no thump as they all watched Sam gently land in the yard holding a very sleepy looking Kara in her arms, "sorry, we went and visited my old home and then stopped in National City for dinner at Noonan's. She started to doze off halfway here and I slowed down to let her rest."

"Take her up and tuck her in, then you can join us for dinner," Eliza smiled.

"Where's her jacket?" Alex asked. "Isn't she cold?"

"Well that's the thing, I took her to a hot spring and it apparently jump-started her invulnerability," Sam blushed, Kara's jacket resting on her arm.

"A hot spring?" Alura asked, "like the lakes on Krypton?"

"Yes ma'am, she said something about that," Sam answered. "I'm going to take her to bed, I'll be right down."

As they moved through the house, Kara saw the food on the table, "we should have everyone for dinner next weekend, Sami."

"Sunday?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, that would be good, not Lena though, just our family. My mother may kill her if she is here." Kara yawned.

"Okay, we will work on that tomorrow." Sam smiled. She floated up the stairs and got Kara settled on her bed.

"Good night, sweetheart," Sam smiled.

"Night Sami, thank you, I had fun tonight," Kara smiled as her eyes closed.

"Me too, sweetheart," Sam smiled down. She listened as Kara breathing evened out and her heart rate slowed, then she leaned down and kissed the lovely blonde on the cheek. "Sweet dreams, Kara."

A small smile found its way to Kara's face as she rolled over and Sam left the room.

* * *

Sam came down the stairs to a table full of people staring at her.

"Did you have fun, mom?" Ruby smiled.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we did," Sam answered. "It was really nice," She smiled as she sat down beside her daughter and helped herself to some food. "Kara wants to have everyone for dinner next Sunday."

"Everybody?" Alex grimaced; the unasked question obvious to everyone.

"Not Lena, A," Sam answered. "Just family."

Everyone relaxed at that statement and finished their dinner.

"Wait a second, if that many people are coming, who's going to cook?" Alex asked, "that's a lot of people."

Ruby smiled, "That's easy Auntie A, Kara will!"


	33. Finale

**_"There is no correct path in life. You will lose your way many times. What's important is that you find your way back to the brave girl you always were. Be wise, be strong, and always be true to yourself." _**

**_Alura Zor-El_**

"Kara? Cooking?" Alex asked, "she doesn't cook."

"As a matter of fact, she does," Eliza responded.

"I've seen Kara attempt to cook, it's not pretty," Alex responded. "I'm not sure it was even edible."

"I guess you'll have to see." Ruby smiled.

"I'll bring extra money for takeout." Alex sneered.

Sam sat beside Ruby and stared into space, remembering the first time Kara had cooked all alone for her and her daughter.

* * *

_Sam's Condo, Metropolis_

_"Oh wow, what is that smell?" Ruby asked as she walked in the door of the apartment._

_"I'm cooking chicken and chorizo fajitas!" Kara called from the kitchen._

_Sam smiled as she padded towards the kitchen. When she and Ruby had left, Kara had been asleep on the couch, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, and as she leaned against the doorframe, she couldn't help but admire the view of Kara Danvers from behind. "I thought you were exhausted."_

_"I recharged faster than I thought, and since you and Ruby went out to let me sleep, it's the least I could do, Sami," Kara said, turning with a smile._

_"It smells delicious. You've been practicing?" Sam asked._

_"A little, I memorized some of your recipes and have been working on them, trying things, as you said, a different spice here or there," Kara's crinkle showed as she held a sample from the pan up. "Want a taste?"_

_Sam closed her eyes as Kara brought the fork to her mouth, chewing slowly, she smiled, "Oh my god, Kara, this is amazing."_

_"Really?" Kara responded, blue eyes shining with happiness._

* * *

"Alex, I bet you... bike lessons for Kara if you like her food," Sam smirked, standing and holding out her hand.

Alex looked warily at the hand in front of her, "She already knows how to ride, well how to stay balanced." She hesitated another moment then shook Sam's hand, "if I die from food poison it's a moot point anyway."

Ruby smiled, "You are so going to lose, Auntie A."

Sam coughed to cover a laugh, "Don't rub it in…," she paused and looked at the red-head. "Yet!"

"Uhm, Alex, honey, you might want to rethink that bet," Kelly suggested.

"Kara has never been able to cook, ever, I'll be fine," she smiled confidently at Kelly.

Kelly looked doubtful as she stood up beside Alex, "Let's help your mom with the table and head up to bed, we have to get an early start in the morning so we can look at the townhouse."

"I've already told you, I like the townhouse," Alex whined.

"We need to go together and look, please?" Kelly paused, "this is an important step for us, honey."

Ruby, Nia, and Sam jumped in to help as well, sending the older three women out of the room and onto the porch while they cleaned the kitchen. As they finished, Sam let Ruby know that they had an early morning as well, meeting Lena at L-Corp.

"And before you ask, yes, Nia can sleepover, but it's your fault if you don't get enough sleep," Sam spoke looking at the two youngest members of their family.

The girls quickly made their way out to the porch to say their goodnights and then headed for Ruby and Sam's house. Sam was a little slower about things, "We have to be at L Corp in the morning, so I'm going to head home. Remind Kara that I will be home by 11:30 for our lunch meeting, please?"

"Of course, dear," Eliza said, standing and wrapping her arms around Sam.

Sam leaned into the hug and smiled as she felt the woman squeeze tightly. Astra approached next and to Sam's surprise, she was embraced by the older woman. "Thank you, Samantha, what you did for my Little One tonight, just thank you."

"My pleasure, General," Sam smiled.

"Samantha, you may call me Astra, it would be an honor," Astra smiled back.

"Thank you, Astra. Any messages for Lena?" Sam asked.

"No, I will be seeing her while I patrol," Astra responded.

Astra stepped back and Alura approached. Sam tensed up just a little, willing herself to relax, she held out her hand which Alura took in both of hers. "Samantha, I apologize for my outburst earlier."

"Ambassador, as a mother, I understand your feelings, were someone to hurt my Ruby…" Sam stopped leaving the message hanging. "But as her family, you must understand Kara is the heart of our group, and we will all stand behind her decisions, even if we don't always agree with her."

Releasing Sam's hand, Alura smiled, "like my sister, it seems you have much to teach me as well."

Sam smiled back, "it is truly a matter of faith and love, Alura."

* * *

The next morning, Kara was the first up, making coffee and sitting outside on the porch while Ozi ran around the yard. She smiled as she heard everyone stirring in the house, sipping the oversweet coffee she listened as Alex made her way downstairs for her first cup of the day. "I'm out here, Alex," she called out.

Alex made her way to the porch, plopping down on the swing beside her sister, "I hear you got your invulnerability back last night."

"Yeah, weird huh, it's like my body automatically tuned into the heat of the water and adjusted my defenses," Kara said, looking out over the water, her crinkle showing. "I think my strength is coming back a little too, but I don't want to break something, finding out."

"Hold on," Alex said as she stood and ran into the living room. She came back moments later carrying one of Ozi's tennis balls. Tossing it to Kara, "Squeeze."

Kara looked down at the yellow object in her left hand, thought about for a second, and squeezed. The smile on her face as the ball was crushed was enough to make Alex forget any of their recent issues for a little while. Holding the destroyed item in her hand, "guess it's coming back."

Ozi came up on the porch and looked at her toy and whined up at her owner. Looking at Kara as if to say, 'that was mine.'

"Sorry baby, I'll get you a new one in town later today," Kara promised.

"All that's left is flight, but it's going to take you time to get back into practice," Alex reminded her sister.

"I know, and to be honest Ali, this is kind of nice," Kara admitted.

The surprise on Alex's face was obvious, not just the childhood nickname, but the admission. "Kar, are you okay?"

"Ali, do you remember me telling you one time, that you can sneak up on me?" Kara asked.

"Yeah, you said something about that. It's because we are family, and I'm not a threat," Alex laughed.

"It's why Lena got away with what she got away with." Kara admitted, her eyes falling, "She's still family Alex, but-but part of me will always see her as a threat now."

Unknown to the two women, Kelly and Sam were standing inside the door, accidentally eavesdropping.

"Kar, it's okay, I know how much she meant to you, but something held you back with her, some feeling," Alex reached out, taking Kara's hand in hers.

Kara looked down at their hands, smiling she looked up, "I didn't hesitate with Sam."

"Sam and Ruby were a safe haven for you. Sam let you in didn't she?" Alex looked at her sister's eyes.

Kara could only nod, "she tried so hard to push me away when I first started going to their home. Her dreams were horrible, she was hurting so bad about what Reign did, even though she had no control," Kara looked over the porch rail, her thoughts turning to Metropolis…

_It had been a long night, and Sam was in the kitchen chopping onions for breakfast omelets when Kara walked in. "Hey, you doing okay?"_

_Sam's hand stopped its movement and she looked up at Kara, "I think you should leave, stay away from me. After what I did to you."_

_"Sam, it wasn't…," Kara was shocked, caught completely off-guard as she tried to talk to Sam._

_"Just stop Kara, she was, is a part of me. Even Lena isn't sure if she is gone. And you, if she comes out again, what if we can't stop her!" Sam snapped. "So just go back to National City, forget about me and Ruby."_

_"Sam, I know you had a long night, but where is this coming from?" Kara asked, trying to stay calm._

_"The nightmares have been getting worse. I don't want to be Kryptonian, I don't want powers and I don't want to be Reign again. So please, just go." Sam snarled._

_"Is that what you really want, for me to go away?" Kara asked, almost whining, "Is it?" She snapped._

_Sam turned away, standing over the sink, washing the blade of the knife._

_"Is it?" Kara whispered, a hint of anxiety in her voice causing it to crack. She waited for a heartbeat and turned, storming out of the kitchen and slamming the condo door as she left._

_Kara walked around for an hour, stopping at a small diner to get something to eat. The chocolate chip pancakes sat on her plate, as she thought about what Sam had said. 'Losing control,' she thought, 'I know how that feels.'_

_She started to eat, and finally calmed down. She paid her bill and headed back to the condo._

_Knocking on the door, she waited. She was about to knock again when Ruby answered the door. "Hey, Aunt Kara," the girl spoke quietly. "Mom's on the balcony."_

_Kara hugged Ruby, "Sorry for earlier."_

_"You aren't really going to stop coming are you?" Ruby asked, her voice tinted with fear, and her eyes red from unshed tears._

_"Not if I can help it," Kara smiled._

_Kara silently made her way out to the balcony, where Sam sat staring over the city. "Sam, we need to talk." _

_"About what, Kara? I told you, I'm not safe to be around," Sam said, without turning to face her friend._

_Kara didn't give up, she took a seat across from Sam and started talking, "You know, I know how it feels to lose control, to give in to my anger and hurt someone I care about."_

_Sam's head turned, just a bit at that statement, "What are you talking about?"_

_"When I first became Supergirl, one of National City's businessmen decided I was a threat. He created an imperfect version of Kryptonite that caused me to act out my darkest thoughts." Kara sighed as the memories of what she had done darkened her thoughts. "I hurt a lot of people, including Alex and Cat, but through it all, they stood by me."_

_"You didn't almost kill one of your closest friends, Kara!" Sam snapped._

_"I dropped Cat Grant off the side of a building and I broke Alex's arm, and I remember it like it was yesterday, Sam," Kara spoke nonchalantly, having come to terms with what she had done, then she whispered, "I can't ever forget it, but I didn't push away the people that supported me, it wouldn't be fair to them, or to myself."_

_"I didn't know, Kara." Sam's hand reached across the table and rested on top of Kara's, "I-I don't really want you to go, I need your help, I need to get past this."_

_"I'm not going anywhere, not as long as you need me. We never get past the bad things we do, we use them to make us better, Sami," Kara stated, rolling her hand and squeezing Sam's fingers gently. "Now you need a nap, we are both tired and cranky."_

_"But the dreams, Kara, I'm so tired of the dreams," Sam spoke, defeated._

_Squeezing her friend's hand, Kara led Sam into the living room and they stretched out on the couch, just as Kara and Alex had done so many times and Kara smiled as Sam finally gave in and surrendered to sleep. _

_"I'll keep the bad dreams away, Sami," Kara whispered in Kryptonese._

* * *

Kara shook her head, realizing she was lost in thought, "It was like when Maxwell Lord's Red Kryptonite brought all my bad thoughts to the surface, she just couldn't let it go."

Alex shivered, remembering the feel of her sister breaking her arm, "hmm, sounds familiar. That wasn't your fault Kar."

"Oh, I know that Alex, but it doesn't stop the guilt. It doesn't stop the fear of it happening again from keeping me up some nights," Kara admitted.

Inside the door, Samantha Arias was listening, as tears welled in her eyes. Kelly was in shock, she felt guilty listening and was about to suggest they step away when a wet nose and two black eyes looked around the door at her and a pink tongue started to wag.

"You two can come out now," Kara closed her eyes as she blushed. "How much did you hear?"

Sam came through the door and Kara stood to meet her. They embraced and once again, Kara was amazed by the feeling of calm that overwhelmed her mind and body when she was held by her champion. "I'm so glad you never stopped coming, sweetheart. Thank you for never giving up on me."

Kara whispered into Sam's ear, "Always, I promise I will always be here for you. For you and for Rubes."

"I know that now, Zhao, I know and I understand," Sam whispered into Kara's ear, kissing her cheek and stepping back. "I have to go, but I promise, I will be back by 11:30 for lunch."

Kara nodded, shocked by Sam's use of the Kryptonese word for love.

Sam stepped down into the yard, and smiled wickedly at Kara, then launched herself over the house and called out for Ruby.

"I'm ready, mom," Ruby growled, her red eyes showing her lack of sleep.

"I warned you to get some sleep, maybe the flight will wake you up," Sam couldn't stop smiling.

On the back porch, Kara turned to Alex and Kelly, still in shock, "Alex, can you help me, I have to pick out something to wear to lunch?"

Alex and Kelly looked at Kara then at each other and started laughing. Then together they grabbed Kara's hands and led her upstairs to pick out an outfit. Ozi trotted behind them, carrying the remains of her tennis ball in her mouth.

* * *

After helping Kara pick out an outfit, Kelly and Alex climbed into Kelly's car and headed towards National City. Kara watched them drive away and smiled as Nia made her way over from Sam's house.

"Hey, Kara, ready for your big date later today?" Nia smiled as she walked through the door, headed for the coffee maker.

Kara's eyes widened at the thought, then she smiled, nodded and hummed as she followed Nia into the kitchen.

* * *

L Corp, Lena's Office

Sam and Ruby landed gently on Lena's balcony and were met by the raucous barking of Morgana. A smiling Lena Luthor called her back as she stood and walked towards the door. She looked directly at Ruby, "Good morning, Ambassador Arias, it is a great honor to have you here this morning."

"Oh, Rao, Aunt Lena, you are such a dork," Ruby smiled and she wrapped her arms around Lena. "It's so good to see you again."

As Lena relished the hug, as Sam moved into the office.

"Sam, is it okay if Andrea joins us for breakfast?" Lena asked, her voice low.

"Of course, Lena, when is she coming?" Sam asked seriously.

"Around nine, I thought we would be done by then, and I was thinking, an outdoor cafe so that the lack of a car isn't obvious. We will need to walk Morgana, so you and Ruby get a head start and an easy exit." Lena answered with a smile.

Sam's serious demeanor relaxed a bit, and she finally smiled, "Thank you, Lena. Sorry, it's been a long few days, even for a Kryptonian."

"Everything okay? Is Kara doing okay?" Lena asked, concern obvious in her voice and eyes.

"Kara's fine, more than fine really, her powers are returning faster than we thought, she created a Kryptonian colony here on Earth in order to make her family feel better about her protection vow," Sam explained. "Everything is going really well for her, for us, all of us," Sam genuinely smiled, as her thoughts turned to the look on Kara's face this morning.

"I'm still confused, Kara created a colony here on Earth, with a governing body?" Lena asked.

Sam turned, "Kara's family found out from Alura exactly what could happen to Kara because of the vow."

"She will be held responsible for any crime I commit, and if I die for any reason other than naturally, her life is forfeit," Lena recited, whispering almost word for word what Astra had said.

"Needless to say, we weren't very happy with that, so Kara used some little known Kryptonian law to form a council from the three families here on Earth. Since her family is the highest in standing, she is now Earth's Adjudicator," Sam paused. "Per her instructions, you have been pardoned for all crimes against Kryptonian citizens, and going forward, should you commit any crime against a Kryptonian on Earth, you will answer to the investigations of Earth's council."

"So, you are telling me that Kara released me from her vow, but now I am basically under the protection of all Kryptonians on Earth, and the three council members will determine my guilt?" Lena clarified, "Who are the council members?"

"Kara and Astra, the House of El and the House of In-Ze," Sam responded, "and the House of Zod."

Lena's eyes shot open, "You are a member of the council?"

"I am Kryptonian by birth, Lena," Sam responded, standing a little taller, "I am the Champion of the House of El, and head of my family here on Earth. According to Kara and Astra, Zod is one of the six highborn houses of Krypton, so I sit on the council by right of birth, Lena."

"I-didn't mean it that way, Sam. I won't even pretend to understand Kryptonian politics but this doesn't seem like something either one of you would be comfortable with." Lena stepped back, defending herself.

"My Zhao-Kara asked." Sam blushed and turned her head, "I couldn't deny her."

"Zhao? Is that Kryptonian?" Lena asked, confused.

"It means loved," Ruby smiled. "Momma finally let Kara know how she feels."

"Oh!" Lena was surprised, "You told her how you feel?"

"Not exactly," Sam smirked. 'But I think she got the hint,' the hazel-eyed Kryptonian thought. "So what about you and Andrea?"

"What? How? What do you mean?" Lena stuttered.

"Aunt Lena, your heart beats so hard when you talk about Andrea, I could write a song to the beat." Ruby laughed, "Lena and Andrea, sitting in a tree…"

After getting her laughter under control, Sam looked at Lena, "now what is going on that I had to come in today?"

"The office in Metropolis is not doing as well as we thought, I need you to look over some reports," Lena answered, pulling a stack of papers off the desk and moving towards the couches.

Taking the reports in her hand, Sam flipped through them quickly, glancing at numbers and projects. She looked up at Lena giving her a look that indicated there was no way they would get this fixed in a single morning.

Lena's face fell and she mouthed a silent apology to her friend.

* * *

Kara and Nia were sitting by the lake enjoying the breeze and watching Ozi run around. "How are you doing, Nia?"

"I'm doing okay," Nia answered, looking away from her mentor and friend.

"Nia, you lie as badly as I do, what's wrong?" Kara asked as she scooted closer to her friend.

"I feel lost." Nia answered, "without you, I don't know if I am doing anything right. You were always there for me, as a reporter, a superhero, and as my friend." She paused, taking a breath and hanging her head, "I miss you."

Kara smiled sadly, putting her arm around Nia's shoulders, "I'm so sorry, Nia. I never meant to abandon you."

"I-I know, I ju-just got so used to-to you being there," Nia cried. The tears flowed for several minutes as Kara comforted her friend. The tears finally stopped and Nia took a moment to catch her breath, "you are more than a friend to me Kara, you are more like a sister."

Kara smiled, and she lifted Nia's chin so that their eyes met, "I like the idea of having a little sister. I'm sorry, Nia, sorry you had to carry my load and yours, sorry I wasn't there for you while things were going on with Lena. I'll work hard to make it up to you."

Nia smiled, really smiled, "You would have done the same thing for me. I don't want you to feel guilty." She paused for just a moment, "Would you mind if Ruby and I tag along this afternoon? I mean I would understand if you want to be alone with Sam."

Kara blushed, "I don't mind, and I am sure Sam won't either." Then her smile brightened and she leaned towards Nia, whispering excitedly, "She called me Zhao this morning."

Nia perked up, her smile almost as bright as Kara's, "Shut-up!"

Kara bit her lower lip, "Don't tell anyone, but I almost kissed her yesterday before she took me flying."

"Well, why didn't you?" Nia leaned in, watching Kara closely.

Kara blushed and turned her head, whispering so low that Nia could barely make out her words, "I was scared she wouldn't kiss me back."

Nia sputtered then broke out in laughter. "By the great blue sun of Naltor, Kara, you sound like Brainy."

"What is so funny?" Kara asked, not the least bit amused as her crinkle started to show.

"I'm sorry, Kara," Nia coughed, getting control of her laughter. "If you don't kiss her soon, your Sami is going to spontaneously combust."

"She's not my Sami," Kara covered her mouth as the nickname escaped.

"Kara," Nia sounded exasperated, "your Sami, she moved to Midvale. Do you think she did that for the wonderful nightlife and amazing shopping experiences?"

"Oh!" Kara gasped, as her thoughts tumbled through the last few years, and Sam's eyes were there in every single memory.

"She's been here every day since you came home, Kara," Nia whispered. "Think about that."

Kara looked out over the lake, her fingers twisting her hair as her thoughts turned to the last few weeks. She had gone from being Kara to being sweetheart, and this morning, Sam's tone, the look in her eyes, the wicked grin as she flew away, and then that word. "She's not my Sami, I'm her Kara," she whispered to herself.

* * *

National City, Kelly and Alex's future brownstone

Kelly's car came to a halt in front of the brownstone, and Alex nearly jumped out to kiss the ground, "Honey, I drive fast, but oh my god, the house wasn't going anywhere."

"Oh, hush! I didn't drive that fast," Kelly smiled as she stepped up on the curb. She approached her girlfriend and kissed her, then whispered, "you're here and you're alive aren't you?"

Under her breath, Alex whispered, "barely."

"I heard that, Alexandra," Kelly said, looking back over her shoulder and winking.

Their future landlord met them at the door with the key, "You ladies have a look around and let me know what you think, I'm going down to the coffee shop on the corner."

Kelly unlocked the door, and the two women walked in. The stairway to the left led up, towards the living space, while the office space was more than adequate for Kelly's new practice. As they headed upstairs, Kelly asked, "Are you going to be okay, if Kara doesn't come back to National City?"

Alex stopped, "You don't think she will move back either?"

"It's peaceful there, Alex, she has dealt with so much chaos, so much pain." Kelly paused to let that sink in, "you know, we could move there if you wanted."

Alex laughed, "You and me, in a small town like Midvale? Nope, that is not going to happen."

"Why is that funny?" Kelly huffed.

"We both like the city, the noise, the hustle. This is who we are. We would miss this." Alex smiled as she moved down the steps and nudged her girlfriend towards the door.

Kelly stepped in and turned, "But…"

She was met with a kiss, and when they separated, Alex spoke, "But nothing honey, this is where we want to be, where we want to raise our children."

Kelly smiled brightly as she turned and walked into the living room. "Wow!"

The two women moved from room to room, then headed to the top floor. The downstairs had surprised them, but what was waiting for them upstairs was like a sign from the heavens. A small hallway led to two bedrooms, not one. "I thought it was a two-bedroom?" Alex questioned.

"That's what the landlord said," Kelly answered, confused.

"Someone was off," Alex smiled, as she opened the first door. The room was set up for a child, still filled with furniture and toys. Across the hall, there was a nursery. "Someone is trying to tell us something."

* * *

L Corp, Lena's Office

Sam looked up from the reports, aggravated, "By Rao, Lena, this is a mess, I'll need at least a week to sort this out."

"Really?" Lena perked up, "Would you be able?"

"I have to talk to Kara first. Maybe she and Ruby can deal with the movers tomorrow. If she agrees, I can be back later tonight and work until a week from Saturday," Sam suggested, slightly irked. "If we finish early, I get to go home."

"Agreed," Lena smiled.

"Can we go to breakfast now?" Ruby asked.

"Yes," Lena and Sam answered at the same time.

* * *

Back at the Brownstone

Alex and Kelly made their way down the steps to the sidewalk and headed towards the coffee shop to meet their future landlord.

As they entered the door, Alex headed to the counter, and the landlord, Stanley Roper stood and waved Kelly over, "Hello, Ms. Olsen, so what did you think?"

"The place is amazing," Kelly answered. "However, you said two bedrooms over the phone and there were three."

"What? That's not right," the grey-haired man said rifling through his files, "253 Curt Swan Avenue."

Alex walked up, kissing Kelly on the cheek and handing her a cup of coffee, "we saw 252 Curt Swan," Alex said, trying not the laugh.

"252...252...Ah, right here. Sorry about that," the man apologized. "My secretary handles the filing and she has been out sick, the rent is…" he paused as he turned the page, "less than the two-bedroom. Hmm, that's odd, let's see…"

"Lower rent sounds better," Kelly smiled at Alex.

"Here's why the rent is lower because the building is for sale. You ladies wouldn't be interested in buying, would you?" He laughed without looking up from his papers.

Kelly and Alex turned and looked at each other, "Yes!" they both answered, smiling.

* * *

Home, Eliza's Kitchen

Kara was standing in front of the stove cracking eggs and singing to herself as Nia made coffee and toast when Eliza, Alura, and Astra came down the stairs. "Hey, baby, what ya making?" Eliza asked as she hip bumped her youngest daughter and headed towards the coffee maker.

"Hey, mom," Kara responded, her eyes popping open as she looked towards Alura, looking for any sign of disapproval. "Mother, I meant to ask if you would be okay with me calling Eliza, mom?"

"Daughter, there is nothing wrong with you calling her mom, she brought you up, and you don't have to ask permission," Alura answered, smiling.

"You're sure?" Kara questioned, looking to Astra, who shrugged. "That was incredibly easy from Alura Zor-El."

"Kara, I have made mistakes, but telling you that you cannot refer to the woman who took care of you here on Earth as mom, is not going to be one of them," Alura answered, smiling.

Kara smiled, which slowly infected the whole room. "Are omelets okay with everyone?"

Everyone agreed and as Kara cooked, the group settled at the table, talking amongst themselves.

* * *

National City, Breakfast

Andrea was waiting as they entered the restaurant. Taking their seats, Sam smiled as Andrea stood and greeted Lena with a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Sam, it's good to see you. This must be Ruby?"

"Andrea, it's good to see you, how's our friend really doing?" Sam asked, looking towards Lena.

"Ms. Rojas," Ruby held her hand out. Realizing she was still holding Morgana's leash, she quickly changed hands and they shook.

"She's doing fine, Sam, eating regularly, maintaining semi-normal work hours and she has a visit with Harley on Friday in Gotham," Andrea answered, smiling at Lena.

"Wait, I have to work, and you are flying to Gotham?" Sam asked, peeking over her menu.

"It's just for the day, and I will be on call the whole time," Lena suddenly went on the defensive.

"Good grief, Lena, relax, I'm joking. I'm glad you are continuing your therapy sessions," Sam laughed.

"Aunt Lena, can I get pancakes and a big breakfast?" Ruby asked.

With that, everyone settled down and breakfast was ordered.

* * *

The Coffee Shop, National City

"Alex?" Kelly looked up at her girlfriend.

"What, we can afford it, I think. Let's make an offer, and see where it goes from there," Alex grinned.

"You're sure?" Kelly's head was spinning, they'd gone from living apart to considering renting and now buying a place.

"Yes, honey, I'm sure, let's try, the most they can say is no," Alex placed her hands on Kelly's shoulders. "What do you think?"

Kelly turned her eyes to Mr. Roper, "Let's do this."

* * *

Sam was finishing her breakfast when Alex's text came across her phone, pictures of the townhouse filled her screen, with the words, 'We're buying!'

Ruby looked up at her mom as the same message came up on her phone.

* * *

Nia and Kara's phones vibrated at the same time, images of the house on each. Nia smiled, but Kara saw the images and excused herself from the table, heading outside with Ozi. Astra looked to Alura and then Eliza, "I'm going to speak to her."

Both women shook their heads, "Give her a little time, Astra," Eliza spoke softly. "Let her work this one out."

Astra paused, looked at the door, and reluctantly sat back down.

Kara stomped down to the lake, her thoughts jumbled. She looked down at Ozi, "Everything is changing, ever since Lena found out about Supergirl, everything has been so-so different."

She plopped down at the lakeside table, staring at the water, her chin rested on her hands. 'Everything changes, it's not the end of the world, it's the beginning of a new adventure,' she thought to herself. Then she whispered to herself, with a voice full of sadness, "Or is it? Everyone is leaving, everyone is going away and I'll be alone, again."

Ozi jumped on the bench, nudging Kara's arm with her head. Absentmindedly, Kara started to scratch her behind the ear. The motion seemed to calm her and she started to breathe in and out, centering her thoughts. She looked down and smiled at Ozi, who climbed into her lap and licked her face.

The puppy's act seemed to help as Kara giggled. She gathered her thoughts and started talking in low tones, "Alex and Kelly aren't leaving me, they are making their own way in the world. They can be here in a few hours, and I can be there in less than twenty minutes at hi-speed." She paused and smiled brightly, "No one's leaving me, I have Aunt Astra back. I have my friends, J'onn, Brainy, Cat, and Lucy. My family is here for me, Mom, Nia, Mother."

She lifted the puppy up to her face, receiving kisses on her nose, and whispered, "More than anything else, and you can't tell a soul, I have Ruby and Sami." Ozi continued to lick her face and Kara thought to herself, 'the sun still rises and sets…"

With that thought, a memory of Krypton came to mind.

* * *

_The El Home, Krypton_

_"I hate it, Aunt Astra," Kara whined. "What was wrong with our old home."_

_Astra seated herself on Kara's bed, allowing the small girl to climb on her lap, "Little One, your mother has a new position, this apartment, it matches her status."_

_"But my friends…" Kara sniffled, "my teachers, even the Science Guild is further away."_

_Pressing a remote on the table, the window's tint slowly faded, allowing the setting of Rao's star to be seen from Kara's window. Astra smiled as the child's attention was pulled towards the view, "the sun still rises and sets Little One. Change is not always a bad thing. Sacrifices must be made for family, but your friends can still visit, and you live closer to me now."_

_"Will you take me to the Science Guild?" Kara asked, looking into the face of her hero._

_"Every day, Little One," Astra answered, resting her head on Kara's as they looked at the sunset together. Whispering, she smiled, "every day."_

* * *

A small smile formed on Kara's face as she was pulled back from the memory by the sound of approaching footsteps, "Hello, Aunt Astra."

"Are you okay, Little One?" Astra asked, concern obvious in her tone.

Kara stood from the table, her back straight and her eyes bright, "I am now, Auntie." She wrapped her arms around Astra and squeezed, "The sun still rises and sets…"

A single tear rolled down Astra's face as the memory of those words touched her to her very soul.

* * *

National City, Breakfast

Sam checked her watch for the fifth time in the last ten minutes, causing Lena to roll her eyes and smirk. Looking at Andrea, "darling, Sam, and Ruby have to head back to Midvale, Sam has a meeting with a contractor later this afternoon. Do you mind if we walk Morgana and let them skip out on us?"

Andrea smiled at Lena, "You mean I get you to myself for a little while?"

Lena blushed and Sam and Ruby stood to leave, "We can take the long way back to L Corp," Lena grinned.

Sam and Ruby said their goodbyes and headed for the door. As soon as they were out of sight of the restaurant, they moved into an alley and shot into the sky. At Ruby's insistence, they hovered above the cafe until Lena and Andrea exited, holding hands and laughing as they walked down the sidewalk, Morgana walking on Lena's left side.

"Satisfied?" Sam smiled.

"Sorry, I take after my mother and worry about everybody," Ruby laughed. "Race you."

Sam watched as her daughter sped up and headed towards Midvale. 'I could get used to this flying thing,' she thought to herself.

* * *

Kara was upstairs finishing getting dressed when she heard two familiar heartbeats getting closer to the house. She looked into the full-length mirror on the back of her door, satisfied with what she saw. Her bones were no longer prominent and her eyes weren't red-rimmed from the constant tears and lack of sleep. She looked at her ears, remembering when she'd first arrived with the Danvers and Eliza had helped her pierce her ears with the help of a red sun lamp and a very sharp needle. Walking across the room, she opened a small box that had been among the things Alex and Kelly brought her from National City. Opening it, her eyes lit up, even more, two perfect blue sapphires mounted in gold sat against the black velvet. The note was still there as well…

_'To my baby sister, _

_These reminded us of you._

_All things get better with time._

_Love, A & K'_

Kara inserted the post into her ears and slid the gold backs into place, just as Sam and Ruby landed across the street, "Missed you," she whispered, watching as Sam's head turned towards her window.

"I missed you too, Zhao, be ready in a few minutes," Sam whispered back, and she closed her eyes as the words washed over her.

Kara and Ozi came down the stairs as Nia entered the back door. Alura and Eliza were in the front room talking when Kara stuck her head in, "Do you two mind watching Ozi while we are out?"

"Of course not," Alura answered. "Come here, Ozi." The puppy responded by bounding onto the couch next to Eliza. "Traitor," Alura smiled at the large ball of fur.

"Thanks, we will see you in a little while," Kara waved and headed out the door behind Nia.

Ruby came out the front door as Sam backed her SUV out of the garage, Nia and Ruby climbed into the back as Kara took her place in the passenger seat. Looking into the back, "I told Nia they could tag along, is that okay?"

"It's fine with me," Sam answered, seeming distracted.

"Sami? Everything okay?" Kara asked, laying her hand on top of the brunettes.

"I have to go back tonight if you and Ruby think you can handle the movers tomorrow?" Sam blurted out, "If you don't want to, I'll understand."

"Is Lena okay?" Kara's grip tightened.

"She's fine, sweetheart. Metropolis is a mess and I know that office better than she does," Sam turned her hand in Kara's, wrapping her fingers around the blondes.

"Hmph!" Kara pouted. "It's only for a week? You will be back next Sunday for dinner?"

Sam's heart swelled as she heard the sound of possession in Kara's voice, "only a week, earlier if I can figure out what they did wrong."

"Fine, but she better make sure you are taken care of," Kara smiled at the bright hazel eyes and her hand tightened on Sam's. She turned her head and looked out the window as they drove towards town, frowning and thinking selfish thoughts.

"Don't forget, Kara, we have to stop and get Ozi a new ball," Nia called from the back seat.

Kara turned and Sam caught sight of the frown on her beautiful face. "Kara?"

"Sorry, my mind was wandering," Kara lied. "Can we stop and walk a bit?"

Sam pulled the SUV into an empty spot just a few blocks from the ice-cream shop and everyone jumped out. Kara stepped up on the sidewalk as Sam rounded the front of the truck, and Sam noticed the frown again, "Kara, what's wrong?"

"I'm being selfish, that's all," the blonde answered, holding her head down, slightly ashamed of herself...

"Selfish?" Sam questioned, annoyed that she was forced to have this conversation, "I can call Lena and tell her I can't come.".

"Would you ask me to stop being a reporter or Supergirl?" Kara asked.

"No, of course not," Sam answered, her face scrunched in thought. "Why?"

Kara looked directly into Sam's eyes, "then how could I ask you not to do something you love, something you are good at."

Sam smiled, "I'm coming back, Kara, I'll come back every night if you want."

Kara stepped closer wrapping her arms around the slightly taller woman's back, "I know, that's why I wouldn't ask. You are going to be tired. I know how you and Lena get when you are working. All I ask is that we text or talk every night, please?"

Sam leaned in, relishing Kara's scent, and whispered, "of course Zhao, as you wish."

Kissing Sam on the cheek, Kara stepped back, "Did you really just quote 'the Princess Bride' at me?"

Sam smiled and took her hand and they headed down the sidewalk, as they walked, they moved shoulder to shoulder and their fingers slowly entwined.

* * *

National City, Alex's Apartment

Alex paced back and forth, while Kelly sat on the couch staring at the blank TV. Her phone rang and she answered. "Hello, Dr. Kelly Olsen."

"Dr. Olsen, this is Stanley, I have good news. The family accepted your offer and they would like a quick closing, you and Ms. Danvers will be able to take possession within the next month."

"Thank you, we will come by tomorrow," Kelly responded in shock as she disconnected the call.

"Well?" Alex asked, stopping her pacing.

Kelly's face brightened as her smile grew, "They accepted the offer!"

Alex stepped forward and pulled Kelly from the couch wrapping her arms and around her and repeating the words as she pulled her girlfriend into a passionate embrace.

* * *

Kara's earlier bad mood seemed to disperse as she and Sam walked hand and hand down the main street of Midvale. Sam could feel her mood lighten as well as they moved from storefront to storefront taking in the sights and window shopping. As they passed the pet store, Kara peeked in the window and looked to Sam, "I owe Ozi a new ball, do you mind?"

Sam called to Nia and Ruby and pointed, then smiled as they entered the shop, a small bell announcing their presence. Kara stepped towards the puppy toys and was met by the store owner.

"Kara Danvers, is that you?" The older woman asked.

"Mrs. Elmore?" Kara grinned, "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't teach English forever dear, how is Midvale's resident Pulitzer winner doing?" The older woman asked, peeking over at Sam, "and who's your friend?"

Sam walked up and introduced herself, and watched as Kara snuck off, looking at puppy toys, leaving her trapped.

"Kara was always one of my best students, always worked hard. I knew if she ever became a reporter as she wanted, she would be one of the best." Ms. Elmore spoke as she slid her arm through Sam's elbow effectively trapping her in conversation.

Sam heard Kara's giggle and stuck her tongue out at the blonde and then looked sweetly at the retired teacher, "She's just wonderful isn't she, you should ask her about her newest project. I hear she's working on her first book."

Kara looked up quickly and frowned at her Sami, trying to look angry but failing miserably. Sam turned her back and headed towards the front of the store where Ruby and Nia were playing with some kittens, laughing as she heard the conversation start.

"Kara, sweetheart, why didn't you say something, I have some experience with writing novels, maybe you need some pointers." Ms. Elmore spoke loudly as she moved towards her old student.

Twenty minutes later Kara finally picked out a few toys for her puppy and escaped the store. Nia and Ruby were waiting outside as she exited, "Mom headed down the street, some sign caught her eye."

"Uh-huh," Kara smirked, looking down towards the brunette, who was standing in front of the Midvale paper talking on her phone. She turned and walked towards her, her blues eyes flashing orange momentarily, making certain that Sam knew she was coming.

Sam coughed to cover her laugh as Kara tried to act angry, waiting for her to get close. "Before you cook me, look…" Sam smiled, stepping to the side, a For Sale sign coming into Kara's view.

"And?" Kara asked, her brain not quite catching up with her body. Suddenly a look of absolute excitement overcame the Kryptonian, "Sami, the paper is for sale. The paper needs a new owner. I'm a reporter. I-I could…"

"Kara, slow down, sweetheart. Breathe." Sam whispered quietly and placed her hands on Kara's shoulders, "relax…"

Kara took a deep breath, her brain working overtime as she started remembering all the lessons she had learned watching Cat, Lena, and Sam work. "I can't do this, Sami, I wouldn't know where to start. I've never run a business."

Sam pulled her phone from behind her back, "You were right, Cat, word for word. I owe you dinner."

"Ms. Grant…" Kara sputtered.

"Kara Danvers, you were the best assistant I ever had, you are one of the best writers and reporters on the planet." Cat paused, then whispered, "you are Supergirl for God's sake. If anyone can do this, you can."

"Yes ma'am." Kara stuttered, "what do I do?"

"You ask for help, and you accept advice, just like I did when I got started. I'm coming for dinner next week. How about I come in a day or two early and we will create a business plan?" Cat asked.

"That would be wonderful, thank you, Ms. Grant." Kara gushed.

"We are family and possibly business partners, call me Cat. Okay, Kara?" Cat said, her smile coming over the speaker.

"Thank you, Cat." Kara smiled as Sam disconnected the call.

"That was painless wasn't it?" Sam asked.

"You are still going to pay for leaving me with Mrs. Elmore," Kara grinned wickedly.

"Oh really, what are you going to do?" Sam asked, as Kara stood on her tiptoes and swept her lips across the brunettes.

"Get your attention, Sami," Kara said over her shoulder as she walked off, caught up with the girls, and headed to the Ice-Cream shop.

Sam stood and stared as Kara and the girls disappeared through the door, her mouth hanging open. The ability to move came back slowly as she licked her lips and tasted Kara's lip gloss then took several shaky steps towards the door where her Zhao had disappeared.

* * *

Sam came through the door and couldn't help but stare as Kara, Nia and Ruby were sitting in the booth, concentrating on the menu. 'My family,' she thought as she moved to her seat.

Kara set down the menu and looked at Sam, her eyes shining with mirth. Then after watching Sam squirm for a moment, Kara's face turned serious. "Sami," Kara paused, biting her lip, "I need your advice."

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Sam acknowledged.

"Nothing is really wrong." Kara started, "What do I do about my old job?"

"Huh?" Sam responded, then thought a moment, "Oh, that's right. Well, you were under contract and terminated illegally, since you were unable to respond or contact your employer, due to your situation."

"I could use the money, but Andrea and Lena?" Kara looked down at the table.

Taking Kara's hands in hers, Sam thought for a moment, "Kara." Then she whispered, "Zhao, we can fix that, it's easy, we just ask. Okay?"

Kara nodded, then took a deep, shaky breath, "Now for the hard part. Andrea knows the truth, Sami." The second part of the sentence was said so low, that if Sam's hearing hadn't been so acute she would have missed it.

Sam's mouth fell open, "She knows what Lena did to you?" She paused for a moment as the thought sunk in, then her eyes flashed blue, "Lena told her everything?"

"No, Lena-Lena said Andrea figured it out at the-my speech," Kara spoke quietly, ashamed that she had forgotten to tell Sam.

"Kara, I'm not angry, but are you sure?" She asked as she squeezed Kara's hands tighter.

Kara seemed to shrink a bit. Then she whispered, "No, there are too many lies between the two of us." Then Kara sat up a bit straighter, grasping Sam's hand in hers, "it doesn't matter now, Andrea knows, and you know what?"

"What, Kara Danvers?" Sam asked, a grin growing on her face.

"We are not going to let it affect our lives. I'm tired of being scared and not living my life," then she paused. "Our life."

Ruby's eyes shot up at that comment and she smiled as she leaned into the blonde Kryptonian, hugging her tightly, "You and Nia are going to stay at my house while mom is gone?"

"Yes, Ambassador," Kara answered as she leaned in and kissed the top of Ruby's head.

The waitress came over and took their order and conversation hovered around the paper and the set up of furniture. Kara's last question before they dug in was directed at Nia, "So, Nia? You want to come to work for me if I get the paper?"

You couldn't tell who smiled brighter, Nia, or Ruby as the dark-haired Naltorian nodded her head speechless.

* * *

After finishing their ice-cream and paying the bill the four women headed out. Kara looked to the girls, "I need to get a computer. Do we have a few minutes?"

Sam nodded as she frowned, "Yeah, go ahead, I'll catch up, I need to call Lena real quick, let her know I'll be back tonight."

Kara frowned as well, as the girls pulled her towards the computer store, she understood why Sami had to go, but she didn't have to be happy about it.

As the girls disappeared into the shop, Sam dialed Lena's phone.

"Lena's phone, this is Andrea Rojas speaking," Andrea answered professionally.

Surprised, Sam hesitated before speaking, "Andrea, this is Samantha Arias, may I speak with Lena?"

"Hello, Samantha, it's going to be a moment, she's confirming some things with Harley's receptionist." Andrea answered, "is there anything I can help with?"

"I was just calling to let her know I would be back tonight." Then she paused, "Kara agreed to take care of the movers for me."

"How is Kara doing?" Andrea asked, unease apparent in her voice.

"She's doing really well," Sam smiled at her opportunity. "However, she has some concerns about back pay with CatCo magazine."

"It was a legal release, Samantha. She failed to turn in any stories or contact HR for over seven days," Andrea responded, moving from friend to CEO in one sentence.

Andrea's tone raised the hairs on the back of Sam's neck, and she instantly reverted to her role as former CFO of L Corp. Sam snapped back, "we both know you have intimate knowledge of what happened, Ms. Rojas."

Andrea's eyes widened, "what are you insinuating, Ms. Arias?"

"If Ms. Danvers wished to pursue this situation, Lena could be implicated," Sam had no interest in getting Lena or Kara into a courtroom, but Kara was in the right and deserved her pay. 'I'm sorry, Lena, but this is for Kara,' Sam thought to herself.

"You wouldn't dare?" Andrea gasped from the other end.

"Andrea, both of these women mean a great deal to me, but Kara did not deserve termination and her contract should have been reactivated immediately upon the conclusion you reached the day of the speech," Sam spoke with authority, her voice even but her tone indicating that she was not a woman to be trifled with. "Let me be perfectly clear, Kara deserves her pay and compensation for wrongful termination."

Andrea huffed, and failed to notice Lena taking the phone out of her hand, "Sam, what is going on?"

"Andrea and I were having a conversation about Kara's position with CatCo. She is entitled to lost wages and compensation for being let go due to circumstances beyond her control," Sam responded, not the least bit fazed that she was speaking to her employer. "I'm not sorry, Lena, this is for Kara."

"I'll speak to Andrea," Lena whispered. "Sam, you-you're not angry with me, are you?"

"No, Lena. Kara brought this up because the paper here in Midvale is for sale and she is considering buying," Sam explained.

"Oh, how much?" Lena inquired.

Sam rolled her eyes, picturing Lena pulling out her checkbook, "Lena, she needs to do this herself. I could probably afford to write the check myself, but Kara needs her confidence back, and doing something like this will help her heal."

"I understand," Lena responded, dejectedly, "I'm overcompensating for what happened, aren't I?"

"You're trying to help a friend, Lena," Sam countered. "Anyway, right now, she is buying a computer with the girls, so I am going to save her and head home. I'll be back in National City around seven or eight, can I have one of the condos?"

"Already set up, you are on the tenth floor, number seven." Lena smiled, "I'll see you tonight for dinner?"

"Thanks, Lena. I'll see you in a few hours, that way we can get started tonight." She paused, taking a breath, "about Andrea, tell her it wasn't personal."

"Bye, Sam," Lena said softly.

"Bye," Sam disconnected the call and headed towards the shop. She walked in and saw Kara paying for two laptops and a printer.

Kara turned towards the door and smiled, and once again, Sam found herself trapped in those gorgeous blue orbs. "Hey, Sami, I got Rubes a new laptop and a printer and computer for me, okay?"

"It's fine, but why did Ruby need a new laptop?" Sam asked, dreading the answer.

"Well if I'm going to work with her on computer science and programming, she needs a machine that will keep up, and I could actually afford a good one for her," the blonde answered, an innocent look on her face.

"So you can teach her how to hack and build apps, in other words," Sam laughed.

"Pretty much, yep," Kara grinned and grabbed Sam's hand, heading out the door.

As they approached the car, Sam leaned over and whispered in Kara's ear, "don't spoil her too much, please?"

"Just a little bit, she's good for me," Kara smiled as Ruby climbed into the SUV.

"You're good for her too, Zhao," Sam said, squeezing Kara's hand and smiling, causing the blonde to blush.

* * *

National City, Lena's Condo

Andrea was sitting on Lena's couch, red-faced and scowling. "Andrea, calm down."

"Calm down? That woman!" Andrea hissed, "she threatened court action if I don't pay Kara Danvers for wrongful termination."

"Is she wrong?" Lena asked, trying to defuse Andrea's anger.

"Whose side are you on?" Andrea snapped. "I can't just pay her, I terminated her contract before I found out what happened before I discovered who she was."

"And if it was someone else, and you discovered you'd made a mistake, what would you do?" Lena asked calmly.

"I'd try to fix it, of course," Andrea rubbed her face, still angry. "This is different, Kara can't sue without telling the world who she really is, but that woman didn't hesitate to threaten to implicate you and me."

Lena turned and covered her mouth, trying to block the laughter that was rising, "Now-now I understand what's wrong."

"Excuse me?" Andrea stood, "What do you understand, and what is so damn funny?"

"You're not angry about paying Kara, you're upset because Sam beat you at your own game," Lena laughed. "What do you expect, she learned from me."

"Lena, she threatened us, you, with court," Andrea stammered.

"And you reacted exactly like she knew you would, you got angry and stopped thinking." Lena walked over and sat down beside Andrea, "Andi, Sam played you, and you lost. Pay Kara what you owe her, please? For me?"

"I have to explain to the legal department why we are cutting a check for a terminated employee, especially a check that size." Andrea smiled, knowing she had lost.

"We can work that out, I'm sure with our resources, you and I can make sure that CatCo doesn't get any bad press," Lena laughed again.

Andrea rolled her eyes, "Really, Lee, bad press? For a magazine?"

Lena leaned over and brushed her lips on Andrea's cheek, "it made you laugh, didn't it, darling?"

"She's coming tonight, and will be here all week?" Andrea grumbled.

"Play nice, she beat you fair and square, Checkmate!" Lena smiled once again, then leaned her head on Andrea's shoulder, "She'll be here in time for dinner, what would you like?"

'Dessert,' Andrea thought to herself, as she leaned her head towards Lena's, closing her eyes and relaxing.

* * *

Sam and Kara were quiet during the drive home, holding hands and watching the road. As they pulled into the driveway and parked, the girls hopped out of the back, grabbing the bags and heading into the house. Kara pulled the handle to open the door when Sam's hand tightened. "Can we just sit a minute?"

"Is everything okay, Sami?" Kara smiled as she asked, listening to the staccato beat of Sam's hammering heart.

"Everything is perfect right now, I just know, that when I get out of the car, the afternoon ends and I have to head back to National City, and…," she paused.

"Sami, I wish you didn't have to go, but I do understand why you have to. When you get back, I'll be here, I'm not going anywhere, I'm waiting for you…," Kara paused, "As I said before, I'll always be here for you."

Sam turned and looked at Kara, taking her breath away, then in a low whisper, "I know, Zhao."

Kara released a shaky breath as Sam lifted her hand and brushed her lips over the blonde's knuckles. Kara's eyes closed and her breathing quickened.

"Have I got your attention, Ms. Danvers?" Sam smirked as she opened her door and stepped out of the car.

Kara huffed as she stepped out of the car, her legs feeling a little weak as the feel of Sam's lips on her knuckles played over and over again in her mind. "Th-That was mean."

"You started it, Zhao," Sam smiled as she checked her watch, "Oh, damn, Kara, sweetheart, I have to go, I'm going to be late."

"You haven't packed, what about clothes?" Kara asked, trying desperately to come up with an excuse for Sam not to leave.

"I keep an emergency bag at Lena's office, sweetheart, I'm sorry, time got away from me," Sam frowned as she stepped around the car. "I'll text you as soon as I get to the condo, I promise."

Kara pouted, her blue eyes catching Sam's, "you'd better." She lunged into Sam's arms, hugging her tightly, "I'll miss you, my zrhueiao zygai."

Kissing Kara lightly on the forehead, "I'll miss you as well, Zhao." Then she slowly took off, the words Kara had spoken rolling through her mind.

"Fly safe, my zygai," Kara whispered as she waved. 'Come back to me soon, Zhao,' she thought to herself.

* * *

Kara was sitting on Sam's back patio playing chess with Nia waiting for her phone to buzz or ring.

"Check," Nia said, watching closely, looking for the signs, searching for the tells that would warn her that Kara was falling. "Kara, hey, sis!"

"Hmm, oh sorry, my mind wandered," Kara shook her head. "Where were we? Check? How did you do that?"

While Kara studied the board, Nia took a deep breath, "Are you okay?"

Kara moved a piece on the board, "Check!" Blue eyes lifted from the board, "I'm okay, Nia. Letting any of you go, it's hard but I'm slowly getting used to it. We all have lives to lead."

"Kara, she's coming home, just like Alex and Kelly, she will be back," Nia placed her hand on Kara's fingers while studying the board, "we are here for you, just like you have always been here for us."

"I know, Nia," Kara patted the Naltorian's hand. "Part of the reason I'm so off-balanced is my feelings for Sami are, oh Rao…," she trailed off.

"She makes your heart soar?" Nia asked, "I know the feeling."

Kara looked up, her eyes shining, "Brainy?"

Nia nodded and the game was forgotten while the two friends caught up on something else Kara had missed…

* * *

In the skies above National City, Solaria was finishing her patrol when she heard a familiar heartbeat heading towards her niece's city. Turning, Astra sped towards the incoming person, meeting them just as they crossed the imaginary line that formed the city's airspace.

Sam slowed to a halt, hovering about a mile over the city, smiling as she listened to the approaching Kryptonian, "Hello, Astra."

"Hello, Samantha," Astra said as she came to a stop. "You are running behind schedule. Lena said you would be there between seven and eight o'clock?"

"I was with Kara and I lost track of time," Sam's smile grew larger.

"I assumed as much," Astra spoke, completely unsurprised. "How is my niece?"

"She is well, a bit speechless when I left," Sam blushed. "And, she did use a phrase I didn't understand, zrhueiao zygai."

Astra snorted, "her beautiful champion." Sam's blush grew even deeper, causing Astra to laugh harder, "if you glow any brighter champion, you will rival Rao himself."

"I-I need to get to Lena's," Sam stammered, "I will see you more this week, General?"

"You will, zygai, perhaps we can have lunch during the week? Discuss your intentions towards my niece?" Astra was still laughing as she flew off.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, after finally finding a safe place to land, Sam entered the office, got her key, and headed up to the condo. She unlocked the door and turned on the light, looking around, there was a note on the bar, which she picked up and read…

_Sam,_

_I stocked the fridge and brought your clothes from L Corp. We can get started in the morning, Andrea is spending the night, and after your conversation, she probably needs a day or two to calm down._

_Corporate account is attached to your room, order food, and talk to Kara, we can get started around eight in the morning._

_Thank you, _

_Lena_

Sam glared at the note, then with a short burst of her heat vision, she ignited it and watched as it burned in her hand, thinking to herself, 'Andrea needs to learn not to be such a sore loser.'

She called and ordered food; pizza and potstickers in honor of Kara, and then dialed Kara's number.

Nia and Ruby had stepped over to Eliza's for dinner leaving Kara and Ozi on Sam's patio when Kara's phone rang, she tapped the button before the first tone finished, "Hey, Sami."

"Hey, sweetheart, you okay?" Sam asked with concern.

Kara took a deep breath, to get her panic under control, "Sorry, still getting used to this whole letting people go thing."

"I can fly back," Sam offered, sitting up and grabbing her shoes.

"No, then you just have to leave again in the morning, I have to learn to adjust." Kara smiled into the phone, "how was the flight?"

"It was good, I ran into Astra on the way in, she should be back by now," Sam relaxed a bit. "Do you really think I'm beautiful?"

"Uh, oh, hmm…," Kara stammered, as she blushed from her neck to her ears. "Astra told you what it meant?"

"She did, and you didn't answer my question." Sam's voice dropped into a husky whisper, "Do you think I'm beautiful, Zhao?"

Kara's eyes fluttered closed at the sound of Sam's whisper, but instead of answering the question, Kara stuttered, "Is-Is there anything else I need to know about tomorrow?"

On the other end of the phone, Sam smiled and rolled with the question, "Nothing I can think of, I gave you the list of where the furniture goes, and we can hang pictures when I get back."

The two women continued to talk until Kara's phone threatened to die. Sam heard the warning beep from her side, "You need to get some rest, I'll text in the morning before breakfast, and don't forget the movers will be there around ten or eleven."

"I already set the alarm on my phone, thank you, Sami, thanks for trusting me to do this for you," Kara yawned into the phone.

"I trust you completely, Zhao. Sweet dreams, Kara." Sam smiled, "If you need me, call sweetheart."

"I will, zygai. Night Sami," Kara grinned into the phone as she disconnected.

Kara got up from the patio and walked into the house, finding Nia and Ruby playing chess on the floor in the living room. "We're going to sleep in here tonight, Kara," Ruby volunteered, not even looking up from the board. "You can have mom's room, she has an air mattress."

"Night ladies, movers will be here between ten and eleven," Kara said as she headed into Sam's room. As she lay back on the bed, she could feel the panic rise. She took a deep calming breath and rolled over to plug in her phone, then sat up and opened her laptop, it was going to be a long night.

* * *

National City, Sam's Condo

Sam's food had arrived and she was sitting on the couch going over the files in her lap. She popped a potsticker into her mouth, and looked over the same page for the fourth time, trying to find any errors. 'It's going to be a long night,' she thought to herself and went back to staring at the paper.

* * *

Kara watched the sky begin to lighten as her eyes finally started to get heavy when she heard the 'ding' of an incoming message. Rolling over she smiled as she saw a selfie of Sam grinning at her from her messages.

K: 'Who's that pretty lady?'

S: 'Aww, you think I'm pretty first thing in the morning?'

K: 'I was talking to the pizza box behind you.' She giggled as she pressed send.

S: 'Brat! Although the potstickers were to die for. How did you sleep?'

K: 'Not so good, probably just first night nerves, didn't want to miss my alarm.' She lied, not wanting to worry Sam. "You had potstickers, without me, by Rao, that's a crime."

S: 'Haha, I'll bring you some when I head back. Are you sure you are okay?'

K: 'I'm okay, Sami, really. I have to adjust.'

S: 'Okay, gotta go, Lena is in the hall, will call tonight. Have fun with the movers, don't laugh at them too hard, Zhao.'

K: 'Ok? Why would I laugh at the movers?'

S: 'Watch them move my bedroom stuff, you'll see, hugs.'

K: 'Ohh! Now I'm going to laugh, zygai. Kisses.'

Kara got up from the bed and headed to the bathroom. She looked into the mirror and her eyes didn't look too bad, 'a few hours in the sun,' she thought to herself.

The movers arrived about two hours later and the girls gathered to watch them unload. Kara was guiding them through the house to the right rooms as Ruby and Alura giggled as the 'big, strong men' moving the furniture.

* * *

Home, the Saturday before dinner.

Kara sat in the swing with Ozi, on Eliza's porch, going over the events of the past week as she rubbed her red-rimmed eyes and yawned. She'd completed two chapters of her book and emailed them to the editor to proof so she could get some notes. She almost completely unpacked Sam's house, sending pictures and videos whenever she hung pictures or put anything away. Thursday, she and Cat had ridden into Midvale and talked to the realtor and the bank. 'We didn't even need the business plan that Cat and I had spent all of Wednesday night working on,' she thought to herself. The lack of sleep was showing to everyone, especially Alex who had tried everything to get her to nap Thursday.

_Kara answered the front door and was met by hugs from Kelly and Alex. "You're early, I didn't expect you back til tomorrow?"_

_"We got all the paperwork done, and today was graduation for my class, so we thought we would come back early," Kelly volunteered, frowning at the obviously exhausted blonde._

_"Kara? Have you gotten any sleep this week?" Alex asked, concern evident in her voice._

_"A few hours here and there," Kara responded with a yawn. "Every time I close my eyes…"_

_Kelly took Kara by the hand and led her back to the patio, "Sit."_

_Kara sat down, her fingers pulling at her hair. She even attempted to fix her non-existent glasses. "I'm so tired, Kelly, but-but I keep thinking she isn't going to come back."_

_"Oh baby, she will be back in a few days, just like me and Alex," Kelly cooed, wrapping her arms around the worn-out woman. "Did you try all the exercises I taught you?"_

_"I tried everything, I would be okay until I closed my eyes, then, it was so dark," Kara whispered into Kelly's shoulder._

_"Did you talk or text her every night, I know Alex checked on you throughout the day but did you and Sam stay in contact?" Kelly questioned._

_Kara nodded, yawned, and answered, "Every morning and every night."_

_Kelly waved her hand at the door and Alex stepped onto the patio, "Why don't you sit out here with her for a bit, see if it helps, okay, love?"_

_Alex nodded as she made her way to the hammock on the other side of the patio, the one Sam had set up on the balcony in Metropolis for Kara's visits and waved her sister over._

_Kara made her way across the porch and crawled in next to her sister and Alex started singing Astra's lullaby..._

That two-hour nap had been the best sleep she'd gotten this week, but it wasn't enough to fix the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion that was threatening her.

Sam was almost to Midvale after finally finding the problem and getting everything straightened out in the Metropolis branch. She had gone to lunch with Astra the day before and after talking about Reign, raising Ruby and Kara, she'd told Astra about the problems with work. "Sometimes looking for something so hard, is more of a problem than the problem itself," Astra had smiled.

Sam returned to the condo and pulled up the spreadsheets on her laptop and spent less than twenty minutes finding and fixing the formulation errors that had set her on this wild goose chase. Lena had fallen asleep on the couch while she fixed the last two. Her last act before flying to Midvale had been letting Andrea know that Kara's back pay hadn't been a personal attack, just business. She'd been rewarded with a handshake and a check for Kara.

She landed gently in the front yard and made her way to Eliza's door, she was almost to the door when Ruby pushed it open and wrapped her arms around her mother. "Hey, baby girl, I missed you."

"Hey, momma, I missed you too." Ruby smiled into her mother's shoulder, "Kara missed you more though. She hasn't been sleeping."

"I know, baby, but I couldn't force her to let me come home. I had to let her try." Sam frowned at herself as she answered.

"She's on the porch, in your spot," Ruby smiled as she pulled back.

Sam made her way through the house, hugging everyone and making her way slowly to the back porch. She opened the door and peeked towards the corner and saw Kara, sitting, staring blankly at the water, with her arms wrapped around her knees. "Kara? Zhao?" Sam whispered. She felt as if she'd been punched in the gut when Kara turned towards her, eyes red-rimmed, with dark bags below them.

Kara attempted to stand, but Sam was at her side too quickly. "Sami, you came home?" her words slightly slurred from being so tired.

Sam, who hadn't slept much better while she'd been gone, wrapped her arms around her Kara and pulled her close, allowing the blonde head to rest on her shoulder, "I missed you, Zhao."

Kara's eyes closed as Sam's heartbeat washed over her frazzled senses. She could feel her body relax as she was crushed to Sam's chest, "I missed you too. I should have given in and let you come home a few nights. Sorry."

"Shh, sweetheart, let's just sit right here and watch the sunset," Sam whispered. "Let me get us comfortable." Sam turned their bodies so that Kara's back was leaning against her, and she slid down until they were both comfortable.

Kara snuggled and pulled Sam's hands into her own, drawing soft circles with her thumbs as she smiled sleepily and watched the sky turn to pinks, reds, and oranges. Then ever so slowly, she felt her eyes drift close and finally let sleep overwhelm her.

As Kara's breathing evened out, Sam found herself drifting off as well, she kissed the top of the blonde's head and fell asleep soundly with her arms wrapped protectively around her Zhao.

Ruby found them asleep a few minutes later and found Eliza in the kitchen, "Momma and Kara are asleep on the porch?"

"You and Nia can sleep here tonight, sweetpea. Is that okay?" Eliza asked looking down at Ruby.

"Yes, ma'am, thank you," the girl answered as she made her way back to the living room.

Alura tiptoed through the back door having just returned from Argo and looked to Eliza. Smiling, she nodded out to the porch. Eliza smiled back and made her way quietly upstairs, returning minutes later with Kara's cape, and stepped out on the porch to wrap them in the warm fabric.

Alex and Kelly returned from walking Ozi and watched as the little dog took her place in her mistress' arms. Kelly sneaked into the house and returned with her phone, snapping a quick picture of the sleeping couple. As she and Alex entered the kitchen she whispered, "How about a puppy along with the new house?"

Her girlfriend simply smiled and nodded.

* * *

Kara's eyes opened slowly and she smiled sleepily at the arms wrapped around her. She slowly worked her way out of Sam's embrace and kissed the woman lightly on the cheek, her smile growing as she noticed a slight grin on the woman's face. She made her way quietly to the kitchen and made coffee, looking at the sleeping people in the living room. Then her head turned as she heard Alex's familiar footsteps coming down the steps. "Want to help me walk Ozi?"

Alex nodded and poured herself a cup of coffee, "let me get some shoes and a jacket."

They walked down the road in the front of the house, watching the puppy run ahead. They were both quiet as they held hands like it was Kara's first day of school, then on the return trip, Alex asked, "you feel better?"

"Much, I needed a good night's sleep. I feel lighter with everyone here," Kara responded, staring at the ground and twisting her hair with her free hand.

"Kara, Kelly said we could live here in Midvale?" Alex volunteered.

"Alex," Kara smiled slightly as she raised her head. "You would feel trapped here, you crave that chaos, that noise. My body is better suited to the quiet. I understand why Kal keeps the farm in Smallville. You two are happy there, and more than anything, I want my big sister happy."

Alex's tension at moving away from Kara was lifted and she pulled her sister into a tight hug as Ozi ran behind the house. Kara felt something as well, almost like a snap as her body relaxed for the first time in weeks.

She smiled into her sister's shoulder as she thought about her family, her friends, her Ruby and Sam. Slowly she felt her ankles rise and then her toes as she tightened her grip on her sister, her rock, her best friend.

Alex felt the grip tightened and opened her eyes, looking down she saw they were floating, just inches off the ground. "Kara?" She whispered.

"You were there the first time I flew, don't you want to be the one to see it return?" Kara asked with a huge smile on her face.

"Slow takeoff, Kara?" Alex grimaced.

"Not today, big sister," Kara grinned wickedly, then shot into the sky with Alex in her arms.

"Karaaaaa!" Alex screamed.

* * *

Kara landed in the backyard, into the midst of her family. Each of the non-fliers wanted a turn until only Eliza was left. "Mom?"

Eliza thought for a moment, looking into the soft blue eyes of her youngest daughter, "gently, please?"

Lifting Eliza and nodding to Ruby, the three women slowly took flight, making a soft loop around the lake until they returned and landed softly. "That was amazing, really amazing."

Kara then looked at her Kryptonian family, "now I need you to all help me, I need a challenge."

"What did you have in mind, daughter?" Alura asked.

"A race, I need to know if I'm all the way back," Kara smiled.

Everyone braced for an argument, but none came. "Where to, Little One?" Astra challenged.

Kara turned and pointed towards a lone hill, about 10 miles away across the lake, "there, up high to the hill, low return over the water."

Everyone tensed at the challenge, "are you sure Kara?" Kelly asked, voicing everyone's concern.

"I have to try," Kara said, placing her hands on her hips.

"My money's on Kara!" Alex shouted.

Lucy came through the back door carrying the baby as Lois and Kal stepped through behind her. "What's the challenge?" Kal asked.

"To the hill and back, high out, low in," Kelly answered. "My money is on Sam."

"Oh, I have Astra." Lucy and Lois said at the same time.

Kara looked at everyone and rolled her eyes, "My money is on Ruby."

Ruby looked up at Kara with a questioning look, "Me?"

Kara looked proudly at her, "Rubes, don't hold back."

All six Kryptonians took to the sky, with Kara, Sam, and Ruby gently floating up while the other three jumped into the sky. They agreed to a starting point and hovered in place waiting for the starting signal.

At Alex's whistle, all six shot forward with Kal taking an early lead. Alura was struggling and both Sam and Kara hung back for a moment.

"I'm out of practice, you two go get him, I'll catch up!" Alura whispered on the wind.

"Let's go get him, Kara!" Sam screamed as the two women shot forward.

Astra and Ruby were running even, and Astra was pushing herself to unpracticed limits, "Get him, Little Warrior."

"Yes, General," Ruby smiled as she shot forward, pouring on a small extra burst of speed. She started to close on the Man of Steel just as Sam and Kara zoomed past Astra.

Kal was making the turn and diving towards the surface of the lake when Ruby blew by him, leaving a wake in her trail. Kal tried to push harder but felt himself slowing as Sam and Kara caught him and pulled past.

Kara began to pull ahead of Sam and started to catch up with Ruby. She judged the distance and noticed Ruby's wake dropping just a bit. "Don't hold back!" Supergirl screamed, smiling as she saw the youngster flatten herself against the wind and laughed as she got a face full of water.

Kara felt an extra burst of energy and tried to catch Ruby but knew it was pointless and watched as the girl set down moments before she did. Sam landed a minute later and they watched together as Kal and Astra raced head to head. They all turned and laughed as they heard Lois whisper, "C'mon, Astra."

Kara and Sam were holding hands and Ruby and Nia were improvising a cheer as Astra pulled ahead and landed less than a second before Kal. Alura lowered herself to the ground a few minutes later, winded, but proud of herself nonetheless.

Kara collected her money and everyone poured into the house.

The rest of the day was spent catching up with friends and family. Kara smiled as she watched Nia and Brainy hugging on the front porch, laughed as Kelly and Alex walked J'onn through the race with Ruby standing between them. Astra and Cat were talking with Alura and Eliza and she sighed as she felt the love of her family fill the house. She glanced out to the porch and saw a set of hazel eyes staring at her. She felt the pull and stepped out and walked into Sam's embrace.

Sam breathed in Kara's scent as she engulfed her in a hug and kissed the top of her head. "Hey sweetheart, how are you feeling?"

"This is amazing, Sami, everyone came. Part of me feels like I should have invited Lena, but it would have upset mother and Alex." Kara leaned into the hug, "would you laugh at me if I ordered food to be delivered to her?"

"You are amazing, Kara," Sam whispered as she kissed her head again. "Order for her, Zhao, I'm sure she will appreciate it. Now you better start dinner."

Kara kissed Sam on the cheek and turned to head into the kitchen while ordering food for Lena and Andrea.

Everyone gathered around the bar and watched in amazement as Kara began to prep and cook supper. As she finished, she called Alex over and picked a small piece of chicken out of the pan with a fork and handed it to the red-head.

"What, why me?" Alex tried to push the fork back.

"You bet against me, motorcycle lessons?" Kara smiled, a gleam in her eye that reminded everyone in the room she had super hearing and had apparently heard the discussion that night.

"Oh shit," Alex growled, blowing on the food and popping the fork in her mouth. At the first taste, she slowed her chewing and closed her eyes, "Oh, my god, Kara." Then her eyes popped open, remembering the leftovers from that night, "You cook, you cooked, those were yours."

Kara smiled, "I can teach you."

* * *

Dinner was finally over and while everyone cleaned the kitchen, Kara walked outside with Ozi and headed down to the lake. Her phone buzzed and she looked down and saw a plate of food sitting between Andrea and Lena with a smiley face and the words thank you underneath.

K: 'It's what friends do.'

L: 'To friendship and repairing broken bridges.'

K: 'Surahth zrhythrevium'

L: '?'

K: 'Aspire to family, Lena.'

In National City Lena leaned across the table and kissed Andrea lightly on the lips, repeating the words she had just read.

* * *

Samantha Arias made her way down the steps, heading towards the table by the water where Kara was standing, looking out over the lake. She stopped, just for a moment to take in the picture of the woman she loved, looking so peaceful, so full of life and in that moment she saw her past, her present and her future. She moved forward again and was stopped a second time as Kara turned and stared, her blue eyes bright with happiness and surprise at Sam's appearance.

Kara looked into Sam's eyes and saw the gold flecks that meant her zygai was happy and relaxed. Looking deeper she saw a yearning in those hazel eyes and her breathing quickened as Sam walked another step closer.

There were no words between them as they stepped into one another's space, Kara's arms snaked around Sam's neck and she felt Sam's arms wrap around her waist and back pulling her close. She was about to speak when Sam gently placed her lips against her own and pulled her tighter. Kara moaned at the sensation and her own arms tightened pulling Sam's head down closer. Sam felt the closeness and at the sound of Kara's moan, her tongue flicked forward, searching for permission and tasting vanilla lip gloss. Kara's mouth opened and the two women pulled even closer as they searched for boundaries that no longer existed. Minutes later they pulled apart and breathlessly looked into one another's eyes. A second kiss followed and as they separated, Kara turned and leaned into Sam's body. They stood together looking over the lake.

"What are you thinking about, Zhao?" Sam asked pensively.

"That I'm finally home…"

Sam's mouth opened and closed silently as she pulled Kara closer and placed a light kiss on the blonde's cheek. Kara pulled Sam's arms tighter around and her head turned linking their lips again. As they ended their third kiss, they both sighed and stared out over the lake, a look of contentment on Kara's face and a smile of joy on Sam's.

* * *

**The Supergirl Diaries**

**An excerpt**

By Kara Danvers

When she was a child, her planet Krypton was dying. She was sent to Earth to protect her cousin, but her pod was knocked off course. By the time she got here her cousin had already grown up and become Superman. So she hid her powers until an accident forced her to reveal herself to the world. Now she works to protect her city and the world from alien life and anyone else who would do them harm.

**SHE IS SUPERGIRL**


	34. Epilogue

National City, 4 Months Later….

The kitten purred in her arms as a red boot touched the ground.

"Mittens!" A little girl's voice yelled, relief overriding the fear that had been present just moments before. She looked up as the superheroine handed the kitten over to her owner.

"I think Mittens needs to learn to stay out of trees," the hero smiled. "You two have a good day." Then she shot into the sky.

"Thank you!" The girl yelled after her.

* * *

The flash of a red cape momentarily distracted the getaway driver and he swerved to miss it, only to find the steering wheel non-responsive. Looking out the window, he saw the car was flying and pulled his head back, "We're flying," he gasped to the three other people in the car.

Minutes later they were settled in front of the police department, surrounded by officers.

"Thank you," several of the officers yelled as they waved at the red and blue blur as it disappeared into the sky above them.

* * *

"This is Captain Maggie Sawyer of the Science Division. We are requesting assistance with a Class 5 threat," the officer calmly spoke into her radio. Then, turning back to the situation, "Please stop threatening those innocents. Let them go and we will work something…"

She was interrupted as an energy blast came shooting out of the alley, only to be blocked by a red and blue clad heroine.

"Are you okay, Captain Sawyer?" The woman asked.

"I'm f-fine," Maggie responded shakily. "How about you?"

"You mind a little help?" The hero asked.

"No, not at all." Trying to catch what was happening as the woman blurred into action. She felt her handcuffs snatched from her belt and then, the alien was sitting on the ground in front of her patrol car, her hands encased in hardened stone and handcuffs encircling her wrist.

"All yours, Captain. The stone will keep her power in check for about an hour," the heroine smiled. "Anything else?"

"No, thanks for the…" Maggie started to answer, but she was gone.

* * *

"DEO Alert, Lex-Bot assault at L-Corp, I repeat, there are Lex-Bots attacking L-Corp!" Lucy yelled over the coms. "There are 10 of them, DEO presence has not been requested, however, we are considering this is a citywide threat, who is the closest?"

"I'm three minutes out, I'm finishing up a fire on the south side of town," Solaria responded.

"This is Dreamer. Brainy and I are three blocks away, and can be there in two minutes."

"Martian Manhunter here, I am ten minutes out, returning from Metropolis," J'onn answered.

"I'm thirty seconds out, I have visual on eight of the robots, where are nine and ten?" A voice asked over the coms.

Multiple voices tried to answer at once, and reporters on sight caught her on camera as she landed.

* * *

In Lena Luthor's office, she and Andrea had just sat down for lunch, unaware of the conflict downstairs, when the news flashed on Lena's screen and they reached for each other's hands as they sat watching.

In Midvale, Ruby came running into her mom's office, tuning the TV to the National City News.

At a furniture store in National City, Alex and Eliza turned away from the children's furniture and saw the familiar red and blue blur across the TV screen.

* * *

The robots turned to fire, but they reacted too slowly and five of them were cut down by her heat vision. Dreamer's energy tentacles tore two of them apart and Brainy took out the last.

"Watch out!" Solaria yelled as twin energy beams struck Dreamer and Brainy driving them to the ground. The hidden robots had made their presence known, and were now focusing their powerful kryptonite cannons on their next target. As they fired Solaria floated above, frozen by fear, not for herself, but for…

"Kara…" Sam gasped as the green light enveloped her Supergirl.

"Kara…" Lena Luthor cried, as her fingers clutched Andrea's hand tighter.

"Kara…" Alex and Eliza said at the same time, as their hands clasped.

"Kara…" Ruby cried as she turned into her mother's embrace.

"Zhao..." Sam whispered as fear clutched her chest.

* * *

Out of the green light, twin beams of blue struck the kryptonite cores, cracking them and stopping the energy surge. As the green light dispersed, the blonde heroine walked forward, blue eyes shining and hair and cape blowing back.

"You missed!" She grinned and leaped into the air landing on top of the first robot, flattening it into the concrete. The second she threw into the air and watched as her aunt disintegrated it with her heat vision.

Kara smiled up at Astra, then rushed to help her friends, making sure they were okay.

Lena and Andrea stepped through the doors and into a crowd of reporters. Kara looked up as she caught the heartbeats of the two women and smiled. Then lifting Dreamer and Brainy she shot into the sky, escorted by Solaria.

"Thank you, Supergirl!" Lena yelled.

Pausing just a moment, she turned, grinned, and waved, "you're welcome, Ms. Luthor." Then she turned back to her aunt.

* * *

After handing Brainy over to Solaria, Kara's phone buzzed and she reached into the pocket on her cape and saw her home screen flooded with messages from her friends and family.

'Great job you dork, but can you not get shot the next time! You're my Maid of Honor, remember? Love, from me and mom,' she smiled brightly at her sister's message...

'Great job, Kara. Are you okay? Love you, sis,' Kelly's message read...

'Kara, you rock!' From Lucy...

'I saw the news, nice to see you back,' the message from James said...

'That was amazing, can I get an exclusive?' Lois asked...

'If she texted you first, tell Lois no, I get the exclusive. Great job, Kara.' Cat's message flashed on the screen...

'Great job, Cousin', from Kal...

"I am very proud of you, Kara," Alura text appeared on her screen...

She was bewildered though, 'no message from Sami.'

She landed minutes later at the DEO and stuck around as Nia and Brainy were checked out by the medical staff.

* * *

Twenty minutes later she was lost in her own thoughts as she made her way to the DEO control room. As she stepped through the doorway she was blindsided by a hug from Ruby.

"Hey, Rubes, what's wrong? Is your mom okay? Why are you here?" The words tumbled out of her mouth as fear and panic threatened her thoughts and her heart rate started to rise.

"No-no Kara we're okay, we were scared when the beams hit you, we wanted to see you, to make sure you were okay," Ruby sniffled as she held Kara tight, willing herself to calm down. "Sorry, I shouldn't have surprised you."

"Oh Rubes, honey, I'm fine, I promise, I'm okay." Kara smiled as she kissed Ruby's head, "you can surprise me anytime." She took a deep breath, trying to calm down and smiled as Sam's heartbeat washed over her, soothing the panic. She looked up and saw Sam's eyes, the fear fading as gold flashed in those hazel orbs. Ruby glanced up and smiled at her mom, released Kara from their hug, and walked over to Lucy.

Kara stood transfixed as Sam walked towards her. "Don't, Do, That, Too, Me-Ever again. Please?" She pleaded, her cheeks still slightly damp from the tears she had cried on the way from Midvale...

Kara smiled, feeling slightly guilty, "I'll try, I promise." Then the world stopped as Sam's arms wrapped around her neck, and their lips met.

* * *

Later that evening, at their home in Midvale, Sam tossed a copy of the Midvale Ledger on to the coffee table. She watched a slow smile spread across her Zhao's face as Kara read the headline.

**She's Back: SUPERGIRL RETURNS**

**The End**

Kara's adventures will continue in Abandoned, a Crisis on Infinite Earths


End file.
